Math and Technology Powering Conservation

24 Mar 2025
When you look at the world through a mathematical lens, numbers, equations, and patterns appear in everyday life. That connection started early for Pedro Galindo, a trained mathematician and data scientist at Jocotoco. At 15, he discovered an advanced geometry book among his mother's university texts, sparking a lifelong fascination with mathematical reasoning. "I'm intrigued by how things are connected and how certain behaviors can be predicted if you find the right equation. When you look at data sets, you don't just see numbers - you see trends and the hidden story behind each number.  

Initially pursuing electrical engineering at The National Polytechnic University, Ecuador's leading science university, Pedro soon realized his true passion lay in mathematics. He switched majors, drawn by the opportunity to explore the fundamental principles that explain the world. The change was not only professional, but also personal. "I had struggled with obesity all my life. When I started studying how food affected my health, I realized that everything followed mathematical equations - how my metabolism responded, energy balances, even how body fat was distributed. That's when I understood that math wasn't just an academic discipline; it was a real tool to understand and change my own life, it was practical and useful," Pedro shares.

Applying his expertise, Pedro worked in nutrition, epidemiology, and financial modeling before joining Jocotoco, where he now deciphers nature's pulse through bioacoustics. Jocotoco uses advanced technology - sound recorders coupled with AI - for the identification of wildlife as well as the identification of threats like chainsaws and hunting rifles. Jocotoco has collected more than 730,000 audio recordings from nearly 270 sampling sites in our reserves and in nearby national parks and communal reserves. Our AI models can now identify 550 species - 520 birds and 30 amphibians.  

"One of the biggest challenges in conservation is that you can't always be in the field. With bioacoustics and AI, we can 'listen' to the ecosystems remotely, identifying patterns in wildlife behavior and early warning signs of habitat disturbance," says Pedro. "Every sound is a fingerprint of biodiversity. Some species sing less when their habitat is disturbedan, indication that something is changing," he explains. 

Although much of his work happens behind a computer screen, Pedro emphasizes the importance of field experience. "At the computer, you see graphs, data, and spectrograms. But when you go out into the forest and hear what those data points represent in real life, it all comes together. I remember the first time I heard a species I had analyzed in spectrograms in the wild. It was a revelation - the numbers became something tangible, something alive," he recalls.

Jocotoco is at the cutting edge of combining bioacoustic recordings with AI. The technology allows us to efficiently measure biodiversity, study how ecosystems recover over time, and identify threats to wildlife and their habitats. 

"It's not just about recording nature, it's about turning what seems chaotic into useful information for conservation. With better tools, we can design more effective regional conservation strategies. Bioacoustics is just the beginning," Pedro says.

At Jocotoco, we go beyond simply listening to the pulse of nature. Every sound we capture is part of a larger story about the interconnectedness of ecosystems and the resilience of life. You can be part of this transformation and help more people like Pedro turn knowledge into action to save our world. Donate here.