AFP, CARDAMOM NATIONAL PARK, Cambodia
Above the patter of rain cascading through the jungle canopy comes the haunting call of a pileated gibbon singing to fend off intruders in Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains.It is being recorded as part of work harnessing hidden microphones, cameras and artificial intelligence (AI) to reveal the secrets of species living deep in the rainforest and help protect them.To conservationist Ratha Sor, the whoops and whistles are the sound of hope — a sign that the country’s largest remaining stretch of intact rainforest is healthy enough to support the endangered species.
Chea Sareach, left, biodiversity and science senior coordinator at Conservation International Cambodia, and rangers Nam Seanglay, right, and Hou Sophoan, second right, visit a bioacoustics recording site in Cardamom National Park in Cambodia on June 9.
Gibbons are “indicators that our forest is still alive,” Ratha Sor said.By showing that everything from pangolins to elephants call the Cardamom Mountains home, conservationists hope to secure its future, in a country that has lost more than one-third of its forest cover in the past 25 years.
“This is the real evidence ... we are conserving very unique species in our landscape,” said Ratha Sor, biodiversity and science manager at Conservation International, a Virginia-headquartered non-profit.
