Abstract:
The Western Ghats of southern India boasts exceptional biological diversity, ranging from the charismatic Bengal tiger to the critically endangered Nilgiri shortwing. However, deforestation and degradation of forests are threatening the natural biological heritage of this tropical landscape. Technologies such as satellite imaging can track geospatial changes to land cover, but seldom provide us a complete picture of the biodiversity that a landscape holds. However, what if we were to rely on sounds to monitor biodiversity in this human-modified landscape? At Project Dhvani, we aim to tap into the potential of this creative and novel technology to address the drivers of environmental change across the human-modified landscapes of India. This talk will discuss the use of acoustic technology for biodiversity conservation.
About The Speaker:
Vijay Ramesh is the co-founder of ‘Project Dhvani’, an initiative that aims to monitor biodiversity using sounds. As an avian ecologist, his broad interests range from bioacoustics to historical ecology to citizen science. He is currently pursuing his PhD at Columbia University, where he is examining the impacts of climate change and landscape change on the birds of the Western Ghats, using a range of novel technologies and statistical tools.
