Cities are rapidly expanding, often at the expense of natural ecosystems. Yet, urban areas can also offer unique opportunities to support biodiversity. This 3-day summer school, hosted by MIT at AMS Institute, explored how cities can become active agents in fostering biodiversity. Through lectures, hands-on workshops, field activities, and a collaborative research design session, participants engaged with scientific, technological, and practical strategies to address biodiversity challenges in urban environments.
What species are critical for urban biodiversity?
Day 1 was all about framing urban biodiversity. The foundational question was explored through a series of lectures and an ecology tour led by the City of Amsterdam: What species matter in cities, and why? Fábio Duarte, Associate Director of the MIT Senseable City Lab, started things off with a thought-provoking introduction to the “non-human city.” This set the tone for the day as we delved into the impacts of urbanization on biodiversity. Professor Hans Slabbekoorn from Leiden University followed with a compelling talk on the anthropogenic effects of cities, specifically focusing on how human activities, such as noise and light pollution, alter ecosystems. His insights into the effects of noise pollution were particularly eye-opening—showing not only how it impacts airborne species but also how it’s disrupting marine acoustics. As cities work to create healthier, more sustainable environments, Prof. Slabbekoorn emphasized that water systems must not be neglected in these efforts.
Next, Lorainmari den Boogert provided a city-centric perspective, discussing the challenges urban ecologists and planners face and how researchers can collaborate to shape the future of biodiverse cities. The day wrapped up with an exciting “Urban Safari” led by city ecologist Koen Wonders, who guided us through Amsterdam to observe the biodiversity thriving in unexpected urban spaces firsthand.
Monitoring biodiversity in cities
Day 2 dived into the intersection of biodiversity and technology. How biodiversity is observed in both research and practice was examined, with a special focus on the use of computer vision in ecological studies. From theory to practice, the participants were challenged to train, test, and validate computer vision models for insect detection and classification in the wild. AI-powered vision systems are rapidly transforming the field of biodiversity conservation, but the day also highlighted the challenges of developing accountable and robust models. As participants worked with real-world datasets, discussions emerged around the opportunities, limitations, and ethical considerations of using AI in ecology. The hands-on experience of training these models sparked lively debates and reflections on the future of technology in biodiversity studies.
In the evening, participants put their newly acquired skills to the test during “Nightwatch,” a hands-on session exploring Amsterdam’s nocturnal biodiversity. Equipped with AI-powered moth traps, they monitored a video stream to identify moth species in the city. However, the real highlight of the night was a captivating presentation by Dr. Leonie Baier, a neuroethologist and bioacoustician researching bats. Dr. Baier introduced the group to the secretive world of urban nightlife, showcasing innovative use of sound-based AI sensors to track and classify bat species in the area. Despite the late hour, the excitement of learning about these nocturnal creatures kept the conversation going long after the session officially ended at 10 PM.
Nightwatch
Designing ecological research for the urban environment.
On the final day, participants were challenged to design real-world ecological research for cities to raise the stakes. Working in small teams, they crafted their own urban biodiversity research plans, blending ecology, technology, and urban systems into bold ideas. Their pitches, energized by a scientific storytelling class from Duarte, sparked lively discussions and plenty of enthusiasm from the audience.
The projects were as creative as they were diverse: monitoring pigeons in Amsterdam, tracking otters in Singapore, mapping birdlife in Boston, and more. Each plan revealed the participants’ growing scientific skills and their imagination for rethinking how cities could work for all species, not just humans.
The MIT summer school “Bugging Amsterdam: Biodiversity in cities” not only taught the participants about biodiversity in cities, but also challenged them to develop methods to explore how to plan the future with a living ecosystem in mind. By the end of the summer school, participants left with sharpened research tools, new ways of thinking about urban biodiversity, and—perhaps most importantly—a sense of urgency and responsibility for shaping cities as shared habitats for life in all its forms.
