The Planet Birdsong Foundation works with organizations of all sizes from
local to global.We work with schools, universities, community
organizations, arts organizations, conservation NGOs, and commercial
organizations that share an interest in conservation, for example
through tourism.
In 2026 we are partners with Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Birdlife South Africa
and others in the
Big Year of African Sounds.
We are currently setting up a Planet Birdsong East Africa hub in Rwanda and are planning
new hubs in South and West Africa.
Our ongoing partnership with
Centre of Excellence
in Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management at the University of Rwanda proves that,
with appropriate training, African-based citizen science can effectively contribute to mass data
collection for conservation and AI applications. This provides a blueprint for future partnerships
around the world, in which local partners take the lead at a scientific, technical or community level.
The Planet Birdsong Foundation has a Memorandum of Understanding with the University
of Rwanda Centre of Excellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resource
Management (CoEB). This partnership aims to enable Rwandans to record
the acoustic characteristics and variations of all 700 bird species in
their country. Data collection and verification is managed in Rwanda; Planet Birdsong
provides mentoring and technical support.
We are developing citizen science programmes to increase local
engagement and expand participation in the programme. We deliver in-person training in Rwanda,
on-line webinars, and manage an active Whatsapp Group providing back up, tutoring and mutual contact
between citizen scientists and subject matter experts. This encourages mutual training amongst
the group, and enables us to adapt our training in response to citizen scientist activities. Trustee
Hilary MacBean has visited our established training hubs four times between 2020 and 2025. The
training is modified through user experience, in response to citizen scientist activities.
In 2024-5 Planet Birdsong was awarded the
African Bird Club
Conservation Grant which which funded site visits and training events. Download the report
here.
In 2025-6 we have received a Macaulay Library Field grant for our node at Kitabi College, and private foundation funding
for Lead Recordist Mbonigaba Jean de Dieu (Remy) to develop environmental conservation clubs and citizen science training
at a number of sites around Lake Kivu.
Claver Ntoyinkima and Beth Kaplin in the field
Lead Recordist Mbonigaba Jean de Dieu Remy works on audio processing.
Collaboration with Conservation Heritage Turambe
Rwandan participants comprise students and academics in schools,
polytechnic colleges, and universities as well as working guides. We are
committed to work to internationally accepted qualitative standards and
specifications to ensure maximum value from the data. We are providing
as many participants as possible with access to recording equipment
consisting of
parabolic reflectors developed to be compatible with
locally available smartphones. Outstanding participants are be provided
with additional professional equipment to ensure that all Rwandan bird
species are recorded over a period of several years and some rarities are
recorded for the first time. Citizen scientist recordists are benefiting
from a rigorous data collection regime and learn new skills to take forward
into tourist guiding or other careers in the environmental sector. The process
is overseen by some of Rwanda’s finest ornithologists, who verify
recordings to be stored locally at the
Rwanda Biodiversity Information System and globally at
e-bird, creating a comprehensive
and readily accessible database of Rwandan bird sounds.
Students of Kivu Hills Academy Bird Club, a highly successful partnership.
Field recording with students from IPRC Kitabi and partners, Rugezi Ornithology Centre
Our expert verifiers in Rwanda:
Gael Van de Weghe is a renowned naturalist, photographer and bird identification
verifier and the best known ornithologist in Rwanda. With his father, he is author of
Birds of Rwanda (2011, updated 2018), published by the Rwanda development Board.
He provides bird reporting services in Rwanda and maintains new sighting lists and updates,
all in support of Rwandan science and the growing number of active birders. He is a committed
supporter of the Planet Birdsong project in Rwanda.
Claver Ntoyinkima is actively verifying records on behalf of Planet Birdsong. He is based
in Nyungwe Forest National Park, where he has lived and worked as a guide for many years. He is an
expert ornithologist, guide, and trainer. He has contributed to papers, films and books and made a
noteworthy contribution to the “Wild Rwanda” by Behrens, Boix and Barnes (Lynx Edicions 2015).
Claver is well known for his almost unique capacity to vocalise birds sounds, particularly the
localised and often rare Albertine Rift Endemics. This skill is used to the full, to connect visiting
birders with elusive forest species. He is the winner of the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award 2024.
Claudien Nsabagasani is an established birder, trainer and bird tour guide in Rwanda. Claudien
is actively verifying bird sound recordings made by citizen scientists contributors to the Planet Birdsong
project. He has initiated long term monitoring of both common and endangered species endemic to
the Albertine Rift. Claudien has contributed to the ecological studies of rare, endangered and endemic bird
species across Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. He brings birding to the public, local communities and schools
through the Rwanda Birding Club and his company, Birding and Educational Tours - Rwanda.
Our success metrics include seeing participants actively
engaged in contributing to practical science at both local and international levels.
They are doing so as citizen scientists working within the scope of
sustainably implemented development projects and in wildlife tourism.
Find out more about our 2023 training trip
here.
During 2024 and 2025, Hilary led a year long project funded by a Conservation Award from the African Bird Club,
entitled Bird Sound Recording in Rwanda Using Citizen Science Methods. Download the report
here.
A survey of participants trained in Rwanda revealed valuable information on the appetite
for citizen science in Rwanda, with strong organisation and motivation characteristics.
Around 50 citizen scientists have been trained and a core of around 20 are active at any
one time. In October 2024, an audit showed that 418 audio samples had been uploaded to
eBird. This is expected to be close to 500 by the end
of 2024. Key findings of the survey included the need for more user-friendly data capture
and upload systems and the need for more computer equipment and fieldwork resources.
In 2024 a high proportion of eBird data in Rwanda was contributed by Planet Birdsong
trained recordists; so we have been actively working with
eBird/
Cornell Lab of Ornithology to understand
and contribute to raw data collection in East Africa, towards the implementation of AI Apps
such as Merlin. This world-wide identification app is bringing bird sound to a much larger
audience and will make a significant contribution to AI bird identification, research in the
natural sciences and tourist guide and experiences, all benefitting sustainable economic development.
