2025-11-29

The exit meeting for the project “Development of Bioacoustics Tools for Monitoring of Amphibian Diversity in the Munnar Landscape, Western Ghats, India”, funded by the Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS) and implemented in collaboration with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, USA, and Biometrio Earth, Germany, was held at TIES on 29 November 2025. The primary objectives of the project, which included the taxonomical identification of endemic and endangered species and the development of a bioacoustic tool for identifying selected frog species as a pioneering initiative, were successfully completed

The project involves annotating recordings of threatened frog species using Raven Pro software and contributing to model development on the BirdNET platform.Project Lead Dr. Punnen Kurian opened the meeting, highlighting the significance of the project, the challenges encountered during fieldwork, and appreciating the efforts of team members Nidhi and Cimila.

Project Officer Nidhi Chand presented the project outcomes, detailing the difficulties faced during data collection in Munnar and sharing insights from recording frog calls during evening and night hours across forest and plantation habitats.Project Assistant Cimila Sibichen also shared her field experiences, noting the challenges faced and acknowledging the support of both the project team and the software development collaborators.

Dr. Nelson P. Abraham, Vice President of TIES, reflected on his field experience and commended the dedication of the project team. Dr. Bindhu, Board Member of TIESFPC, also appreciated the effort and teamwork behind the project