Sound Recorders Used to Stop Illegal Logging

Researchers in Mexico and the United Kingdom are testing acoustic monitoring devices to listen for the sounds of forest exploitation and alert nearby authorities, according to Phys.org, a science and technology website.

The AudioMoth is a low-power, open source acoustic monitoring device smaller than a deck of cards. It listens for the sound of chainsaws typically used to log illegally, and will then transmit an alert to park rangers in real-time.

"With AudioMoth, local rangers and managers will have access to a monitoring system covering potentially large areas and can act immediately on alerts,” Evelyn Pina Covarrubias, a researcher from the University of Southampton, told Phys.org.

The device can also listen for bursts of ammunition, which could mean illegal poaching, as well as to listen for biodiversity among species.