How can computer vision supercharge fish connectivity research?

Posted by Marina Richardson
On October 13, 2020

By Sebastian Lopez-Marcano (@seabassphd) Studying animal movement is crucial. Animal movement research is conducted to monitor ecosystem health, understand ecological dynamics and address management and conservation questions. In marine environments, there are different methods to measure fish movement. From nets, tags and statistical modelling, the use of different techniques are providing us with new information […]

Cautious optimism for the mighty Indian Sundarbans mangrove forest

Posted by Marina Richardson
On September 14, 2020

Cautious optimism for the mighty Indian Sundarbans mangrove forest By Dr Michael Sievers and Dr Mahua Roy Chowdhury Despite historic clearing and an Endangered status, there are positive signs when it comes to one of the largest mangrove ecosystems in the world. The Indian Sundarbans form part of one of the world’s largest mangrove forests. […]

Balancing conflicting human values for seagrass, saltmarsh and mangroves

Posted by Chris Brown
On July 25, 2020

The coast sits the intersection of many human activities. Management of coastal ecosystems is challenged by the conflicting values that humans hold for the coasts, including conservation, shipping, fishing, aquaculture, recreation and many others. One objective of the Global Wetlands Project is to help find ways that management can balance these different values for coasts […]

Long-distance sea turtle migration provides unique opportunity to combine and test exciting tracking techniques

Posted by Ryan Pearson
On July 17, 2020

By Dr Ryan Pearson In February 2016, a female loggerhead sea turtle dubbed ‘Marloo’ had a satellite transmitter attached to her shell on a beach south of Exmouth, Western Australia by the Gnaraloo wilderness foundation. Many months, and more than 4000 km’s, later she was recovered on an island near Darwin. Aub Strydom found a […]

Automated fish identification and abundance using artificial intelligence

Posted by Ellen Ditria
On June 26, 2020

By Ellen Ditria While running video footage fresh from your underwater camera into a computer that automatically identifies species and determines abundance may seem like wishful thinking for ecologists, successes in recent research shows we’re close to having an accessible tool for researchers. The use of camera technology in aquatic sciences has increase rapidly over […]

Data Science: The new language of ecologists

Posted by Ellen Ditria
On June 24, 2020

By PhD candidate Sebastian Lopez-Marcano Read Time: 416 words about 3 minutes. Data creates magic. In ecology, data is necessary to make targeted management decisions. New tools (i.e. deep learning / computer vision) are allowing data to be processed at vast rates which is making data more accessible and useful. However, converting raw data into meaningful insights for ecological research can be challenging. Data nodes. Photo: Akamai. Through the years, ecologists have become familiar […]

Computer Vision Resources: Fish Classification Datasets

Posted by Ellen Ditria
On June 17, 2020

by Sebastian Lopez Computer vision is transforming the collection and processing of digital imagery for ecology and conservation. In aquatic environments, computer vision tools for automatic fish identification are heavily sought after, but robust and open-access fish datasets are hard to find. Here, I share some of the most used, open-access and updated fish datasets […]

Building a sustainable future for seagrass ecosystems

Posted by Ellen Ditria
On June 9, 2020

Seagrass ecosystems are among the most productive on the earth, providing a huge diversity of ecosystem functions and services that directly benefit humans. Despite this, seagrass habitats are usually overshadowed by some of the more charismatic ecosystems such as bright, colourful coral reefs. A report led by UNEP released on World Oceans Day has assembled […]

Fragmentation threatens mangrove forests but protection can help….in some areas

Posted by Ellen Ditria
On June 4, 2020

By Dr Mischa Turschwell, Global Wetlands Project Mangrove forest conservation is increasingly attracting international interest. That’s because mangroves support incredible biodiversity, enhance fisheries, protect vulnerable coastal communities from storms, and reduce climate change by storing carbon. Unfortunately, mangrove forests remain one of the worlds most threatened ecosystems. Pressures from forest fragmentation, climate change, increasing exploitation by humans, and altered river flows all continue to degrade and impact […]

Harnessing Big Data to Support Mangrove Conservation and Rehabilitation

Posted by Ellen Ditria
On May 27, 2020

By Dr Michael Sievers and Dr Christina Buelow, Global Wetlands Project We are entering a remarkable era of both technological advancement and open data access, stimulating global scale analyses on mangrove ecosystems. Mangrove trees and roots provide critical habitat for wildlife and benefits to humans. Photo credit: Tom Rayner Mangrove forests occur throughout […]