Monitoring wildlife in the Amsterdam Water Supply Dunes / Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen

An innovative system for wildlife monitoring: autonomous cameras, automated data pipelines and species identification with AI

Managing and protecting nature requires effective and cost-efficient monitoring techniques. To achieve this, advanced technologies such as low-power digital sensors, wireless communication technology, and automated approaches are needed.

Researchers at the University of Amsterdam Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics have teamed up with Waternet, the site manager at the Amsterdam Water Supply Dunes nature reserve, to accomplish the following aims:

  • To develop and put into practice an innovative system for wildlife monitoring using an automated camera trap network
  • To test the cost-efficiency of the automated system compared to manually applying traditional camera trapping
  • To study the distribution, habitat use, activity, population structure and community composition of ground-dwelling mammals and birds

The Netherlands coastal landscape is dominated by sand dune ecosystems. The Amsterdam Water Supply Dunes, part of Kennemerland-Zuid Natura 2000 nature reserve, are used to purify two-thirds of the drinking water for the city of Amsterdam.

Nearby urbanization also makes it an important recreational area, with over 1 million people visiting annually for hiking and nature-oriented recreation. The first 100 meters from the shoreline are strictly managed for sea defence.

https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/c1bce45e4d7f4a6c91e5cf91acee1ae5
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1439179124000458

Posted on 17 July, 2024 14:26 by optilete optilete

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