Andrew Houldcroft
Data Fusion for Great Ape Population Monitoring
Background
BSc Biology; MSc Conservation and Biodiversity
PhD
Data Fusion for Great Ape Population MonitoringI am a quantitative conservation scientist with the Cantanhez Chimpanzee Project (CCP) and my doctoral research is situated at the intersection between ecology, statistics, and conservation.
I am currently developing Bayesian state-space spatial models for great ape population monitoring, broadly exploring if the model-based integration (fusion) of detection data from standard nest surveys, camera traps and passive acoustic monitoring could improve our understanding of primate density and distribution, especially in the complex, human-modified environments that great apes now depend upon for survival.
Although broadly applicable, this work will focus on the critically endangered western chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus) as a case study species. In partnership with the Institute of Biodiversity and Protected Areas (IBAP) of Guinea-Bissau, extensive fieldwork was conducted in Cantanhez National Park, Guinea-Bissau to deploy autonomous recordings units (ARUs) across 80 survey locations, which produced close to 30,000 hours of audio.
Complementing field-based data collection, bioacoustic data processing will require the development and application of novel AI tools and techniques, such as BirdNET, foundation models, and transfer learning, to process the resultingly massive primate vocalisation dataset.
Case Studies
Supervisors
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Lead Supervisor
Dr Kimberley Hockings
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Lead Supervisor
Dr Oscar Rodriguez de Rivera Ortega
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Lead Supervisor
Dr Elena Bersacola
External Partners
- Cantanhez Chimpanzee Project (CCP)
- Instituto da Biodiversidade e das Áreas Protegidas (IBAP)