Camera traps with AI? Flashy stuff!

No one would guess that a camera attached to a tree could help save an animal’s life. But this conservation technique has been essential for identifying wildlife, managing species, and educating people about the environment worldwide.?

A new animal surveillance project through camera traps, named Otus Network, will use over 390 cameras and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor wildlife in Colombia with the help of environmental leaders.

Officially launched during COP16 and led by the Humboldt Institute, the Otus Network will use AI to organize the data collected by local communities, with a special focus on animals like pumas, jaguars, and ocelots. Each image will include details like the date, time, animal behavior, and unique markings.

Thanks to AI, tasks that used to take up to six months can now be done in minutes, speeding up biodiversity conservation and enabling faster action. Many of these new cameras will identify animals automátically and also send data through cell networks, a major step in strengthening environmental protections and wildlife corridors.

Otus will start with 390 camera traps, with plans to expand. The project’s name, “Otus,” is Latin for “owl”, referring to a group of owls known for being observant, much like a camera trap.

This wildlife monitoring system will help communities, researchers, students, and local authorities understand and protect Colombia’s diverse ecosystems and wildlife.

In Panama, specifically at the Mamoní Valley Preserve, we support researchers like Kaminando, who study jaguar populations threatened by habitat loss. For over six years, they’ve used about 60 camera traps annually across 45 stations along the Continental Divide, to monitor jaguars and record various other mammals, including leopards and foxes.

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