<p>I would suggest the following as a few places to start:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>The Bioacoustic Unit 'protocols' documents: <a href="http://bioacoustic.abmi.ca/resources/protocols/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://bioacoustic.abmi.ca/resources/protocols/</a></p>
</li>
<li><p>The WWF Acoustic Monitoring Guidelines: <a href="https://www.wwf.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-04/Acousticmonitoring-WWF-guidelines.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.wwf.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-04/Acousticmonitoring-WWF-guidelines.pdf</a></p>
</li>
<li><p>The Australian Acoustic Observatory deployment manual: <a href="https://acousticobservatory.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/a2o_deployment-manual_052019_v25.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://acousticobservatory.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/a2o_deployment-manual_052019_v25.pdf</a></p>
</li>
<li><p>Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute
Terrestrial ABMI Autonomous Recording Unit (ARU) and Remote Camera Trap Protocols: <a href="https://www.abmi.ca/home/publications/551-600/565" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://www.abmi.ca/home/publications/551-600/565</a></p>
</li>
<li><p>US National Parks Service Amphibian Monitoring Protocol:
<a href="https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/616753" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/616753</a></p>
</li>
</ol>
<p>..and for a more personal non-scientific field-recording approach, I'd recommend the blog by George Vlad, which has some great info and ideas from working in a range of locations/habitats:  <a href="https://mindful-audio.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://mindful-audio.com/</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-02T21:51:26.517Z
Thanks for these links, Carlos! Should be enormously helpful.
Tristan Louth-Robins
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-08-02T14:19:25.177Z
2022-08-03T20:42:30.553Z
2022-08-03T20:42:30.553Z
Carlos Abrahams
<p>I'm a practitioner who has come into bioacoustics from a non-ecology background, as my practice up to 2020 was largely confined to sound art, field recording and holistic aspects of acoustic ecology.</p>
<p>As I've ventured into the field (predominantly terrestrial settings) to collect acoustic data - surveying sites and deploying remote acoustic monitoring devices - I've become increasingly aware that working in the field is a learning curve in itself; prone to multiple considerations including aspects of workflow, health &amp; wellbeing, ethics and laws/regulations which may be specific to a site under observation.</p>
<p>Of course, similar considerations apply - in part - to the practice of field recording/acoustic ecology, but the longer-term implications of acoustic observation/remote sensing appear to present greater degrees of rigour.</p>
<p>By way of an example: on a recent field trip in a semi-remote location that I have access to, I found myself wondering whether I could go about this
work in a more pre-planned manner. Such considerations on this trip related to effectively and ethically deploying a terrestrial AudioMoth to a tree branch (with consideration to birds, insects) and devising the best strategy for deploying a housed AudioMoth in a nearby creek with a customised float.</p>
<p>Since this Bioacoustics community consists of many practitioners with an established background of working in the field - terrestrial, marine, other - I am especially keen to find resources specific to any of the following points (listed below.)</p>
<p><em>Following subsequent input re: this question from community members I've restricted this query to <strong>terrestrial settings only</strong> and perhaps an adjacent query or forum post relevant to marine settings may come up sometime in the future.</em></p>
<p><strong>Key considerations I am seeking resources, documentation or advice for:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>Packing/equipment inventory, e.g. what to take on a given field trip.</li>
<li>Best practice for identifying nominal monitoring sites and deployment within a region of interest.</li>
<li>Obtaining permits and permissions relevant to a region of interest.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-28T13:12:40.177Z
Could you perhaps state (edit) more explicitly what you're looking for? For example packing lists, permitting processes, deployment instructions, etc.? As it is now the question is a bit vague to 'fieldwork resources' which could mean a lot of different things!
Carly Batist
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-28T21:24:24.027Z
Thanks Carly, will do. I was slightly concerned that the question was slightly too broad.
Tristan Louth-Robins
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-29T02:18:59.767Z
@TristanLouth-Robins thanks for edits so far… The terrestrial & marine environments are SO different… I might suggest adding more detail about the environment you are considering (and state that in title, too)
Shannon
CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-07-29T02:31:22.967Z
@Shannon: good suggestion, thank you. I'll include these as edits to the question.
Tristan Louth-Robins
<fieldwork><ethics>
Resources specific to bioacoustics fieldwork in terrestrial settings
# Resources specific to bioacoustics fieldwork in terrestrial settings

(Asked by: username_0 on 2022-07-28)

I'm a practitioner who has come into bioacoustics from a non-ecology background, as my practice up to 2020 was largely confined to sound art, field recording and holistic aspects of acoustic ecology.

As I've ventured into the field (predominantly terrestrial settings) to collect acoustic data - surveying sites and deploying remote acoustic monitoring devices - I've become increasingly aware that working in the field is a learning curve in itself; prone to multiple considerations including aspects of workflow, health & wellbeing, ethics and laws/regulations which may be specific to a site under observation.

Of course, similar considerations apply - in part - to the practice of field recording/acoustic ecology, but the longer-term implications of acoustic observation/remote sensing appear to present greater degrees of rigour.

By way of an example: on a recent field trip in a semi-remote location that I have access to, I found myself wondering whether I could go about this
work in a more pre-planned manner. Such considerations on this trip related to effectively and ethically deploying a terrestrial AudioMoth to a tree branch (with consideration to birds, insects) and devising the best strategy for deploying a housed AudioMoth in a nearby creek with a customised float.

Since this Bioacoustics community consists of many practitioners with an established background of working in the field - terrestrial, marine, other - I am especially keen to find resources specific to any of the following points (listed below.)

*Following subsequent input re: this question from community members I've restricted this query to **terrestrial settings only** and perhaps an adjacent query or forum post relevant to marine settings may come up sometime in the future.*

**Key considerations I am seeking resources, documentation or advice for:**

* Packing/equipment inventory, e.g. what to take on a given field trip.
* Best practice for identifying nominal monitoring sites and deployment within a region of interest.
* Obtaining permits and permissions relevant to a region of interest.

**Tags:** fieldwork, ethics

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Could you perhaps state (edit) more explicitly what you're looking for? For example packing lists, permitting processes, deployment instructions, etc.? As it is now the question is a bit vague to 'fieldwork resources' which could mean a lot of different things!  
> **username_0**: Thanks username_1, will do. I was slightly concerned that the question was slightly too broad.  
> **username_2**: @username_0 thanks for edits so far… The terrestrial & marine environments are SO different… I might suggest adding more detail about the environment you are considering (and state that in title, too)  
> **username_0**: @username_2: good suggestion, thank you. I'll include these as edits to the question.  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2022-08-02. Score: 5

I would suggest the following as a few places to start:

1. The Bioacoustic Unit 'protocols' documents: <http://bioacoustic.abmi.ca/resources/protocols/>
2. The WWF Acoustic Monitoring Guidelines: <https://www.wwf.org.uk/sites/default/files/2019-04/Acousticmonitoring-WWF-guidelines.pdf>
3. The Australian Acoustic Observatory deployment manual: <https://acousticobservatory.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/a2o_deployment-manual_052019_v25.pdf>
4. Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute
   Terrestrial ABMI Autonomous Recording Unit (ARU) and Remote Camera Trap Protocols: <https://www.abmi.ca/home/publications/551-600/565>
5. US National Parks Service Amphibian Monitoring Protocol:
   <https://irma.nps.gov/DataStore/DownloadFile/616753>

..and for a more personal non-scientific field-recording approach, I'd recommend the blog by George Vlad, which has some great info and ideas from working in a range of locations/habitats: <https://mindful-audio.com/>

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks for these links, username_3! Should be enormously helpful.  

---

