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AI, automated sensors transform biodiversity monitoring at Europe’s ‘Serengeti’ Reserve – EnviroNews
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Scientists are testing artificial intelligence and automated monitoring technologies to transform biodiversity research at the Milovice large herbivore reserve, popularly described as the European Serengeti, near Prague in the Czech Republic.
The reserve has joined a network of ecologically important sites across 12 European countries participating in pilot research under the European Biodiversa+ project, which is exploring how automated systems and artificial intelligence can improve the monitoring of wildlife and ecosystems.
The initiative covers 70 research sites across Europe, where about 200 sensors have been deployed over the past two years to collect environmental and biodiversity data.
“The aim of the project is to find out how automated systems and artificial intelligence can make the work of natural scientists more efficient and provide data that could not be obtained using traditional methods,” said Jonas Gaigr, a zoologist in the Division of Animal Species Monitoring of the Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic.
Research at the participating sites focuses on three major habitat types under the European EUNIS classification — forests, grasslands and wetlands.
Microclimatic monitoring stations continuously record temperature and humidity, helping scientists build a detailed picture of changing environmental conditions within each habitat.
A central feature of the research is the Automated Monitoring of Insects (AMI) system, developed by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.
The device uses ultraviolet light to attract nocturnal insects onto a white surface, where they are photographed by an automated camera. The approach allows researchers to monitor insect populations without killing specimens, as is often required in conventional sampling methods.
At Milovice, the energy self-sufficient monitoring system, powered by batteries and solar panels, has already captured about half a million photographs, generating approximately 400 gigabytes of data.
Gaigr said the technology has continued to improve, reducing the need for frequent visits by researchers.
“Until last year, the system required inspection visits and the occasional replacement of the storage media. This year, thanks to the BEAGLE project, a module has been added to the system that automatically sends data to the server and enables remote monitoring of the device,” he said.
However, collecting large volumes of data is only part of the innovation. At the end of each monitoring season, the images are transferred to researchers at Aarhus University in Denmark, where a team led by Toke Thomas Høye is developing artificial intelligence models capable of identifying insects automatically.
The use of AI could significantly reduce the time required to analyse biodiversity data and help scientists process information that would otherwise take hundreds of hours of manual work.
Despite its potential, researchers said the technology still faces several challenges.
“One drawback is that the AI models used to identify insects are not yet sufficiently trained. Here we come up against the same problem as with traditional monitoring, namely a shortage of experts,” Gaigr said.
Technical reliability has also emerged as a challenge during the pilot phase. Of the 36 stations deployed across Europe, 16 required repairs, while three failed completely. Field staff reportedly spent more than 35 per cent of their time working on the AMI stations addressing technical problems.
The systems also remain relatively expensive, although researchers say the technology could save hundreds of hours of field and laboratory work at each monitoring site compared with traditional biodiversity surveys.
Beyond insects, scientists have expanded the automated monitoring system to include birds and bats.
Wildlife Acoustics Song Meter Mini 2 audio recorders have been installed to capture bird and bat sounds, enabling researchers to monitor multiple groups of organisms simultaneously.
“This combination makes it possible to monitor several groups of organisms at once and thus study the entire community in context,” Gaigr said.
Another major advantage of automated monitoring is that the data can be independently verified. Every recorded observation is supported by a photograph or sound recording that can be reviewed later, strengthening scientific accuracy and making the information suitable for inclusion in national biodiversity databases.
Scientists also hope the technology will help improve understanding of how climate change is disrupting natural ecosystems.
The long-term research will examine not only changes in species diversity but also phenology — the timing of seasonal biological events such as plant growth, insect emergence and bird nesting.
“Climate change may cause a mismatch between the emergence of vegetation, the appearance of insects and the nesting of birds. These technologies will enable us to measure precisely whether the gap is widening and whether this threatens the stability of the ecosystem,” Gaigr said.
In addition to the Milovice large herbivore reserve, automated monitoring stations have been established in Průhonice, where researchers are focusing on invasive species associated with non-native woody plants, and at the Milovice wastewater treatment plant.
The new project complements several other scientific studies underway at the Milovice reserve, which has increasingly become a testing ground for innovative approaches to biodiversity conservation.
Researchers from the University of South Bohemia have begun monitoring birds through recordings of their calls, while scientists from Charles University have used cameras to study relationships between particular butterfly species and the flowers they depend on.
Dalibor Dostal, Director of the conservation organisation European Wildlife, which established the Milovice reserve in 2015, said the growing scientific activity demonstrated the site’s importance beyond practical conservation.
“At the Milovice large ungulate reserve, scientists are trialling various innovative methods of biodiversity research,” Dostal said.
“We’re delighted that the Milovice reserve is an innovative environment not only for practical nature conservation but also for scientific research.”
The researchers believe the combination of artificial intelligence, automated cameras, acoustic monitoring and remote data transmission could represent a major step forward in biodiversity science, providing scientists with faster, less invasive and more comprehensive tools for understanding how ecosystems are responding to environmental change.
