Technology - An Aid to Conservational Efforts

Would we like our posterity to see no forests and our children see animals only in true to life wax museums, pictures, and Jungle Book caricatures? Do we really care about our animal species or do we want them to be extinct? If the answer is an affirmative 'NO' then one of the solutions lies in the usage of some mind-boggling latest technology to protect wildlife and conserve nature.

The constant tussle between eco-centric (values centered on ecology) versus techno-centric (values centered on technology) approaches to protect nature has always persisted. Here is a glimpse of how scientific and technological advancements are providing solutions to transform conservational efforts. 

Illegal wildlife trade and poaching

World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has estimated the illegal wildlife trade business to be worth $20 billion. This causes a tremendous decrease in many animal species. In spite of conservation efforts, poachers kill many animals like tigers, elephants, rhinos, pangolins, beavers for their skin, tusks, horns, scales, and fur. Trading in Ivory and Rhino horn is a booming international business today and their possession is considered as status symbols. Rhino horn has a huge market in Vietnam. Many people believe that rhino horn has medicinal value; although this claim is not proven by scientists. These are the drivers that will soon cause the extinction of many animal species. There are numerous factors leading to a rapid decline in wildlife populations like climate change, urbanization, pollution, etc, but illegal hunting remains one of the major factors.

Image Credit: https://www.ft.com/content/47edbf58-0c6f-11ea-bb52-34c8d9dc6d84

Poaching is most profitable for locals in underdeveloped nations as other means of livelihood are not easily available. They generally work in the dark as there is a lesser probability of them being caught. 

Today, conservationists across the world are trying to utilize a highly technological approach to protect animal species. Artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced cameras are being used to detect animals as well as poachers.

Image Credit: https://www.ft.com/content/47edbf58-0c6f-11ea-bb52-34c8d9dc6d84

• A poaching alarm system is developed by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) for a National Park in Kenya. 'Instant Detect System' with a hidden metal detector can detect guns and knives carried by the poachers which activate cameras camouflaged in the bushes alerting the rangers. This system uses radio transmitters to send images to a base station and then by satellite to the park headquarters. In the future, this technology will integrate acoustic sensors triggered by sounds of gunshots, chainsaw, engines, or animal calls.
• SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool), a system developed by a collaboration of conservation organizations, helps forest rangers to collect and sort out data on their mobiles about the positions of animals and intruders if any.  
• South Africa’s 'Air Shepherd', an initiative run by the non-profit Lindbergh Foundation, uses 'Eyes in The Sky' to stop rhino and elephant poaching which reverses their march towards extinction. This technology uses drones with AI to scan the savannahs and equips rangers to nab poachers. The drones use heat-sensitive imaging along with night cameras to spot the poachers and animals in the dark. The Air Shepherd drones will hopefully discourage future poaching. Projects all over the world are using drones to create a positive change; for example, planting mangroves in Myanmar, preventing deforestation in the Amazon, tackling plastic pollution in Cambodia.

• Advanced technologies in forensic sciences also help stop wildlife trafficking. 'Enhanced fingerprinting technology' helps identify criminals who have handled animal parts. 'Gel lifters', small sheets coated with sticky gelatin, are used to identify fingerprints from pangolin scales and snake skins which are read by specialist imaging machines. A magnetic powder has been developed which helps identify up to four-week-old fingerprints of poachers on elephant tusks. This gives more time to the police or customs officers to gather evidence about criminals who had killed animals for ivory. Genetic fingerprints are used to track down traces of the poacher’s DNA on ivory, horn, etc. Also, the original geographic location can be traced from smuggled animal products by extracting the animal DNA. 
• Illegal wildlife trade has put tremendous pressure on conservationists to maintain animal populations; hence advanced technology such as AI is a boon for conservation efforts. However, human and political will to protect species is equally necessary. A citizen science app called ‘Instant Wild’ built by ZSL is free to use by anyone who has a smartphone that can be used to identify animals. Such initiatives help to educate and instill a sense of involvement in the general public, as well as assist scientists in their research work. 

Advanced technology is just one part of the solution to the complex problem of wildlife poaching. Many protected sites around the world do not have sufficient funding to manage technology. Also, there have been cases where no action has been taken by the rangers despite knowing the whereabouts of the poachers. Many a time, poachers bribe rangers and go scot-free. Hence, rangers need to be paid well. Their skills need to be regularly upgraded to manage a poaching situation similar to a wildlife crime scene. 

Crop and livestock raiding by unwanted animals

Image Credit: https://wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/endangered_species/elephants/human_elephant_conflict.cfm

Animals are also killed to stop them from crop and livestock raiding. 'TrailGuard' is a hardware used to identify animals for a project called 'VillageGuard'. The animals traveling along specific trails are identified by camera traps. This system has been used to detect elephants and lions in Africa, snow leopards and wolves in Nepal, and grizzly bears in the United States. Speakers are attached to the camera traps that frighten the animals with alarming sounds. 

Health monitoring of endangered species

Image Credit: https://en.reset.org/blog/breakthrough-camera-tech-could-help-keep-tabs-health-endangered-wild-animals-safe-distance

For the recovery and survival of endangered species in the wild, it is necessary to conduct health monitoring which is challenging and dangerous. Tranquilizing animals causes stress and could even lead to death. Javaan Chahl, a remote sensing engineer at the University of South Australia, built a custom recording device consisting of a high-resolution digital video camera, a telephoto lens, and a signal-processing program written in the computing software MATLAB. The animal can be viewed from 3 meters to 40 meters away. This software accurately analyses animal movements and measures the core vitals of animals at long range. It removes large amounts of noise from the animal's movements to concentrate on those which can be measured. The limitations are that this technology is time-consuming, requires good lighting, an optimal angle and the animal needs to be stationary. Tortoises and Turtles are an exception because of their shells. 

The threat to coral reefs

Image Credit: https://en.reset.org/blog/pioneering-aerial-photography-helping-coral-conservationists-see-beneath-waves-never-03042020

Climate change is causing a massive threat to coral reefs and hence it is extremely essential to monitor and map them underwater. The Dominican Republic environmental agencies collaborated with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Global Airborne Observatory (GAO) to develop a new computing system called AToMS (Airborne Taxonomic Mapping System). Advanced sensors (VSWIR, VNIR, LiDAR) and camera equipment were fitted into an aircraft to capture images. VSWIR and VNIR sensors scan the earth’s surface and measure different spectral channels that can map structural and chemical attributes of corals or tree canopies. LiDAR sensor consists of two laser beams that shoot out from the bottom of the aircraft, sweeping back and forth during the flight, capturing a 3D image of the structures found below. This technology will reduce boat trips that are costly and time-consuming. It allows conservationists to detect the presence of algae and suitable fish habitats and to measure and analyze the coverage of live and dead coral. The information received could be beneficial to governmental agencies and NGOs for better planning of future developments and ensuring the continuation of the reefs for the betterment of biodiversity and local business.

Image Credit: https://www.ft.com/content/47edbf58-0c6f-11ea-bb52-34c8d9dc6d84

So, what do you think? Should technology be used for the good of the natural world or will it further create havoc for natural ecosystems? Let me know your thoughts below! My take:- Let's give technology a shot in the arm. The more we delay, the irreversible will be the damage.

References:

1. Ecocentrism and Technocentrism
2. Science Vs Poachers
3. Air Shepherd
4. Breakthrough Camera Tech
5. Aerial Photography