Scaling-up camera traps: monitoring the planet's biodiversity with networks of remote sensors

Steenweg and colleagues argued for treating camera traps as a globally coordinated biodiversity sensor network rather than isolated local tools. They reviewed how standardized protocols, shared data infrastructure, and consistent analytical frameworks could let camera traps deliver continental and global indicators of mammal distribution and abundance, analogous to remote-sensing networks for climate. The paper identified obstacles including incompatible metadata, varied study designs, and data-sharing reluctance, and proposed solutions to overcome them. It helped galvanize initiatives toward interoperable camera-trap monitoring and data standards. As a forward-looking synthesis, it framed the strategic case for large-scale collaboration and is widely cited in discussions of camera-trap networks, biodiversity indicators, and the future of wildlife monitoring.