Monitoring Innovations
Monitoring Wildlife with Bioacoustics
Catona Climate partnered with Arbimon and Trees for the Future in 2023 to pilot an acoustic biodiversity study in western Kenya. Bioacoustic monitoring captures trends associated with sound-producing wildlife including bird, amphibian, insect, mammal, and bat species. Acoustic remote sensing technology allows for automated, cost-effective and repeatable monitoring of species occurrence over time.
𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝟎𝟏: 𝐎𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬. This map shows the location of each acoustic recorder in the TREES project region in Kenya and the surrounding areas. The top graph shows the number of wildlife detections at corresponding times of day while the bottom graph gives an example of AI enabled spectrogram analysis with corresponding waveform.
This study aims to assess if bioacoustic monitoring may be a complementary method to traditional biological studies for determining biodiversity change over time in an agroforestry carbon project. The pilot study will take place over a four-year period, using acoustic recorders and AI enabled spectrogram analysis to rapidly identify vocalizing wildlife species in the baseline (monoculture agricultural practices) and project (multi-strata agroforestry) scenarios.
Researchers at the University of Nairobi will then compare the results of the bioacoustic study to the biological field surveys to assess the efficacy of the tool for biodiversity monitoring.
𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝟎𝟐: 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬. This animation shows the visual frequencies of each bird’s vocalization which is used to identify different species of birds in a given area. With this spectrogram and audio recording, Arbimon develops a pattern matching algorithm that can rapidly analyze and match the frequency patterns of individual species, as well as assess the broader soundscape community in an area. A larger tapestry of birdsongs signify a healthy and resilient ecosystem.
GIS Updates
We integrate geospatial monitoring at all stages of the carbon project lifecycle to mitigate risk and increase transparency in the rapidly evolving carbon market. This year we conducted a thorough review of digital MRV providers to find strategic partners to improve our ability to track aboveground biomass and vegetation evolution.
𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝟎𝟑: 𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞. Changes in aboveground biomass stock over a five-year period for an example improved forest management project from our Partners at Chloris Geospatial.²
Biomass & Forest Cover Comparisons
We monitor biomass and vegetation trends to track how projects are successfully improving the natural environment and sequestering greenhouse gases.
In 2023, we began a partnership with Chloris Geospatial, a leader in scientifically backed AI biomass and forest cover modeling, to provide historical, current and future trends over all Catona Climate projects.
This data will allow us to monitor aboveground carbon stock evolution through time, assess potential threats to projects in our portfolio and track credit issuance estimates against delivery timelines, reducing risk.
𝐅𝐢𝐠𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝟎𝟒: 𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐲. Q1 2024 basemap imagery over the Lake Victoria Agroforestry Project, Kenya. Planet, 2024.³
High Resolution Satellite Imagery
From tracking vegetation growth to identifying potential leakage and reversal events, high resolution satellite imagery allows Catona Climate to manage our carbon portfolio from afar. We combine this data with ground based measurements from our partners to gain a holistic understanding of project impact.
To ensure we capture the fine scale changes in our portfolio, we have entered into a multi-year partnership with Planet Labs, using 3 meters per pixel surface reflectance data to track vegetation vigor and visual changes.
We share key findings and potential risks from our geospatial analysis with project partners and assist them with evaluating vegetative change and developing risk mitigation actions.