A flexible ally: Trends and gaps in the application of bioacoustics tools in conservation science

Abstract

Abstract The rapid and ongoing decline in global biodiversity highlights the need for ever-effective conservation measures, which has transformed the monitoring of biodiversity into an essential diagnostic tool. Over the past few decades, studies in biodiversity monitoring have invested increasingly in the use of bioacoustics tools as a mean of obtaining data. Most bioacoustics approaches are non-invasive, broad-range, long-term, and do not necessarily require personnel in the field, which can optimize time, resources, and field efforts. Bioacoustics studies also produce reliable data that can be used to resolve multiple ecological questions. However, there is a certain bias in the application of these methods, and in the taxonomic groups studied, which complicates the evaluation of the value of bioacoustics for the development of conservation measures. The present study reviews the use of bioacoustics for conservation purposes, analyzing trends in the scientific papers published in this field over the past two decades, while also identifying potential knowledge gaps. The three most frequent types of published studies focus either on humans or marine mammals, or have no specific focal species, while research on the impact of noise pollution is more common than studies using bioacoustics for other application considered. Our findings show that bioacoustics can be a valuable tool in conservation science, although there is a need for the standardization of procedures, especially for the applications developed most recently, as well as the expansion of studies on taxonomic groups that have been neglected to now, such as reptiles and invertebrates.