Mayuri Kotian
- PhD Student, Lab of Animal Ecology, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney
- Topic: Bio- and eco-acoustic monitoring of Christmas Island fauna
- Research Umbrella: Ecology and conservation of Christmas Island fauna
- Supervisors: Prof Justin Welbergen (HIE), Prof Paul Roe (QUT), Prof Lin Schwarzkopf (JCU), and Dr Nicholas Macgregor (Parks Australia)
- Contact: Mayuri Kotian
Bio
I am an early-career applied ecologist with an interest in acoustic technology for conservation. My interest stems from my endeavor to study and understand the nocturnal life of the cryptic crepuscular birds, nightjars back in 2020. Songs form a major part of the nightly activities of these birds and I studied the association between nightjar songs and the environment for my Master's thesis. This project helped me realize the importance of sounds in the natural world and the plethora of information that can be derived from them. Given the nature of sound analysis, which involves computational analysis for the larger part, I could use some of my technical skills which I had acquired during my Bachelor's in Information Technology. In the following years, in collaboration with other ecologists, I worked on projects which used acoustics to draw data-driven insights into forest management and conservation efforts in Central India.
I am an early-career applied ecologist with an interest in acoustic technology for conservation. My interest stems from my endeavor to study and understand the nocturnal life of the cryptic crepuscular birds, nightjars back in 2020. Songs form a major part of the nightly activities of these birds and I studied the association between nightjar songs and the environment for my Master's thesis. This project helped me realize the importance of sounds in the natural world and the plethora of information that can be derived from them. Given the nature of sound analysis, which involves computational analysis for the larger part, I could use some of my technical skills which I had acquired during my Bachelor's in Information Technology. In the following years, in collaboration with other ecologists, I worked on projects which used acoustics to draw data-driven insights into forest management and conservation efforts in Central India.
Research
Forests and their inhabitants have a lot to say, and I am all ears! Part of my previous research has involved using 'ecoacoustic' methods to study all sounds in a landscape, aka 'soundscapes'. Soundscapes contain important ecological information, which can be used to derive insights into ecosystem health. In the past, I have used soundscapes to understand multi-level responses to structural changes in forests, which could occur after activities such as ecological restoration. The other part of my research in Central India has involved fine-scale analysis using 'bioacoustic' methods, where I studied species vocalizations, especially bird sounds, within soundscapes to understand how birds change their behavior in response to changes in their habitat.
Forests and their inhabitants have a lot to say, and I am all ears! Part of my previous research has involved using 'ecoacoustic' methods to study all sounds in a landscape, aka 'soundscapes'. Soundscapes contain important ecological information, which can be used to derive insights into ecosystem health. In the past, I have used soundscapes to understand multi-level responses to structural changes in forests, which could occur after activities such as ecological restoration. The other part of my research in Central India has involved fine-scale analysis using 'bioacoustic' methods, where I studied species vocalizations, especially bird sounds, within soundscapes to understand how birds change their behavior in response to changes in their habitat.
My current research aims to replicate a similar approach towards conservation efforts but in a different biogeographic setting. My PhD research, which is a part of the NESP RL project ‘Managing and monitoring resilience in Australia’s national parks’, will use a combination of ecoacoustic (ecosystem-level) and bioacoustic (species-level) analyses using passive acoustic data for developing efficient acoustic monitoring methods to support species recovery and soundscape conservation on the Christmas Island, Australian external territory in the Indian Ocean. Oceanic island species, although highly diverse, are often endemic and exhibit an acute vulnerability to extinction. Passive acoustic monitoring offers an innovative method for faster monitoring efforts, contributing to the development of targeted species recovery and conservation actions on the island. The outcomes of this work will also provide an understanding of the health of the soundscapes, and guide management efforts towards soundscape conservation on the island where needed.
Academic Publications
Choksi, P., Kotian, M., Biniwale, S., Mourya, P., Korche, D., Agarwala, M., Khanwilkar, S., Ramesh, V. and DeFries, R. (2023), Listening for change: quantifying the impact of ecological restoration on soundscapes in a tropical dry forest. Restor Ecol, 31: e13864. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13864
Choksi, P., Kotian, M., Burivalova, Z., & DeFries, R. (2023). Social and ecological outcomes of tropical dry forest restoration through invasive species removal in central India. Ecological Indicators, 155, 111054. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2023.111054
Kotian, M., Sundar, P., Sangwan, T., & Choksi, P. (2024). Passive acoustic data yields insights into bird vocalization behavior associated with invasive shrub removal. Biotropica, 56, e13330. https://doi.org/10.1111/btp.13330
Kotian, M., Biniwale, S., Mourya, P., Burivalova, Z. & Choksi, P. (2024). How effective are acoustic indices in quantifying biodiversity? A case study from a tropical dry forest in Central India. Conservation Science and Practice, 6(6), e13133. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.13133
Some images of Christmas Island fauna