A bird listening station is built on the bank of the Đầm River – a rich biodiversity wetland ecology system in Bàn Thạch ward of Đà Nẵng City. The launching of three stations aim to promote the protection and detection of wild bird species living in the area. Photo courtesy of Live&Learn

ĐÀ NẴNG — Three bird listening stations combining installation art, artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology and conservation have been introduced across the Đầm River wetland in Quảng Nam area (Đà Nẵng City), aiming to protect wildlife habitats while engaging young people in ecological education.

The stations have been set up at the wetland ecosystem of the Đầm River, a community-based digital library and Cừa Garden in Bàn Thạch and Hương Trà wards, forming part of a wider effort to promote environmental awareness among urban youth.

The initiative is designed to help conserve the increasingly threatened habitat of wild bird species that depend on the limited remaining areas of the Đầm River wetland, a site known for its rich biodiversity but under growing pressure from urbanisation and industrial development.

In response to challenges in protecting bird populations in the area, the Live&Learn Centre for Environment and Community has partnered with local authorities and organisations including Đà Nẵng’s Agriculture and Environment Department, Think Playgrounds and HIVOOC to develop a joint programme focused on ecological education for teenagers.

The project integrates interactive technology and public spaces to encourage young people to learn about biodiversity conservation while fostering community involvement in protecting local ecosystems.

A visitor checks an AI-based bird listening station at public park in township of Bàn Thạch of Đà Nẵng City. Three stations were built in two wards of Bàn Thạch and Hương Trà and Đầm River wetland area. VNS Photo Công Thành

The model, funded by Fondation Botnar through Ecorys, forms part of the global Healthy Cities for Adolescents programme.

Đỗ Vân Nguyệt, director of the Live&Learn Centre for Environment and Community, said Đà Nẵng is the third city in Việt Nam to launch a bird listening station, following earlier installations in Hà Nội by the Goethe-Institut Vietnam with partners Think Playgrounds and Baltic Raw Org, as well as in HCM City last year.

The stations are designed to record bird calls in real time, analyse them and translate acoustic signals into human-readable data.

Võ Văn Thiên, director of Bàn Thạch Ward’s public service centre, said the AI-driven system recorded nearly 200 wild bird species within its first 10 days of operation.

He said the stations would support monitoring and conservation efforts by improving detection of wild bird populations in the wetland area.

To mark the launch, a collection of 70 photographs of wild bird species in the wetland, taken by local photographers, was exhibited to the public.

The Đầm River wetland ecosystem, considered a rare and relatively well-preserved natural landscape within an urban area, spans about 650ha, including roughly 200ha of water surface.

A photo of a wild bird species found in the wetland ecology system of Đầm River. Nearly 200 wild bird species were recorded by AI-based 'bird listening stations in the area. — Photo courtesy of Huỳnh Sơn

The area is home to 295 species of flora and fauna, including fish, reptiles and birds.

Experts and biologists have recorded several endangered species, including the Asian openbill stork and members of the Annonaceae, which are rarely observed in the wild.

The wetland also serves as an important feeding ground and seasonal refuge for around 4,000 migratory birds, which shelter there for up to three months during their journeys.

Stocks and wild bird species are found living in the wetland ecology system of Đầm River. The area has been designed as an wetland protection area in Đà Nẵng City. — Photo courtesy of Đà Nẵng Portal

A fund of US$350,000 has been used to recover the landscape and establish wetland plants, including paperbarks (Melaleuca), nipa-palm and reeds, from 2020-26.

The wetland is designed as a destination for a community-based eco-tour, with sustainable aquatic fishing, as well as an opportunity to see rare wildlife bird species in central Việt Nam. — VNS