Turnkey solution for
coral reef continuous monitoring
using passive acoustics and AI

While data from visual methods are barely comparable at large scales, using calibrated recorders guarantees the collection of standardised data that can be compared among sites worldwide. Current conservation programs need this type of data.

Soundscape anthropisation disrupts many processes, such as recruiting fish and coral larvae, essential for community renewal. The extent and impacts of anthropogenic noise pollution (e.g., boat traffic, seismic exploration) are increasingly understood, and noise pollution is beginning to be subjected to environmental regulations. The ecoacoustic approach allows us to quantify these pollutions and the effects of the measures taken to moderate them.

Beyond the voluntary production of sounds by a large number of reef species, many processes intimately linked to reef functioning generate sound. The ecoacoustic approach provides a global functional assessment of the ecosystem by recording and analysing the soundscape.

Apart from the presence of divers to deploy or retrieve the device, ecosystem assessment is entirely passive. In addition to ensuring a more « accurate » assessment (i.e., free from the biases associated with the presence of divers), this approach allows the monitoring of species and communities that are usually difficult to observe (e.g., cryptic species, nocturnal species) without disturbing the ecosystem.

The recorded acoustic data constitute an « ecoacoustic time capsule », a high-fidelity witness of a reef's ecological state and functioning at a specific time. Archiving the raw data has multiple advantages: they can be analysed again (using newer tools, for example), or they can be used to set ecological restoration goals by seeking to re-establish the past acoustic characteristics of an ecosystem.