Recording and analysing soundscapes provides a means to document wildlife communities and their relationship to different ecological drivers at a landscape scale. In our lab, we explore the relationships among acoustic indices and species diversity across ecological gradients, and test how well these indices represent biological processes and habitat health.
Impacts of Fire
Fire is a strong driver of ecological community composition in Australia. Research in our lab explores how well soundscape analyses (primarily acoustic indices) capture fire impacts across a complex landscape-scale matrix of fire history.
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Rapid biodiversity assessment
The recording of soundscapes can provide a rapid means to collectively document species richness and diversity in a given area. In regions with little biodiversity data, soundscape analyses can provide a cost-effective way to assess biodiversity value amd prioritise more intensive on-ground inventorying efforts. In our lab, we use acoustic indices to evaluate how well they compare to on-ground surveys and document large-scale biodiversity patterns. Much of this work takes place in Sulawesi, Indonesia - a biodiversity hotspot.
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Forest HealthPeri-urban regions surrounding Melbourne provide important refuges for native animals. Working closely with the Nillumbik Landcare Network and Nillumbik Shire Council, we are developing a 'forest health' assessment for benchmarking biodiversity within wet and dry forested assets. Using acoustic data to detect key indicator species and acoustic indices to assess soundscapes, this framework will be used to track asset health over time and evaluate impacts of management actions across the shire.
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