The statistics are staggering and frightening. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species (2024-1), more than 45,000 species worldwide are at risk of extinction, including 26% of mammals, 41% of amphibians, 12% of birds, 37% of sharks and rays, 21% of reptiles, 34% of conifers, 28% of certain crustaceans, and 71% of cycads. It is the world’s most comprehensive source of information on the global conservation status of animal, fungal and plant species. That’s why wildlife conservation, which aims to protect plant and animal species as the human population erodes resources, is such a hot topic. (Also read: World Nature Day: What is the theme for 2024? From history to importance, find out more inside)
Over 45,000 species worldwide are at risk of extinction. (Pixabay) {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
Across the world, advanced technologies are being used in wildlife conservation, including drones, camera traps, satellites, acoustic monitoring, and remote sensing methods that use lasers to estimate the 3D structure of target areas, such as forest canopies and cliff faces. Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) have the potential to revolutionize the wildlife conservation sector. The importance of technology can be gauged from the fact that the market size for environmental, conservation, and wildlife organizations has grown significantly in recent years. The market size will grow from $26.22 billion in 2023 to $36.65 billion by 2028.
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In India, technology-driven wildlife conservation is gaining traction. In September 2022, engineering firm E-Gravity launched GPS-based radio collars to track wild elephants. The Habitats Trust is leveraging geospatial data to understand the coverage of India’s grasslands, using underwater robots to enhance and speed up coral reef monitoring efforts, and leveraging machine intelligence (ML, AI, DL) to optimize conservation efforts. The Wildlife Tech Incubator aims to foster India-specific innovation in wildlife conservation, the Indian Institute of Science is working on improving technology to help wildlife researchers and forest departments, and the Tree Foundation is using satellite tags to monitor turtles. Information about turtle feeding grounds and aggregation routes is being communicated to commercial fishers to ensure turtles are not trapped or killed.
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At the forefront of wildlife conservation technology in India is Leopard Tech Labs, a Kanjirappalli (Kottayam, Kerala) based company. The company was founded in 2017 by two faculty members and two alumni from Amal Jyothi Institute of Technology, Kanjirappalli. The company’s conservation technology division has developed multiple applications (available for both Android and iOS) designed to assist both conservationists and the general public in their efforts to protect wildlife. Below are some of the apps/tools from Leopard Tech Labs that can be downloaded and used for wildlife conservation and awareness:
HAWK: HAWK is a wildlife crime intelligence collection system to prevent illegal wildlife trade. Using the latest digital technology, the system integrates all information to monitor criminal networks and criminal activity, providing enforcement officers with actionable intelligence to take preventive measures against wildlife trafficking crimes or possible crime scenarios. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), wildlife trafficking is the fourth largest form of international organized crime, worth an estimated £15 billion per year.
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This app becomes even more important as India is not only a major source country of smuggled wildlife and wildlife products, but also a transit country and destination. The most common wildlife and wildlife products smuggled and seized from India are ivory, turtles and tortoises (especially Indian star tortoises), and rosewood. India is also becoming a major hub for the smuggling of pangolins, and trade in tiger parts continues unabated (Source: India Smuggling Report 2020-2021).
Jumbo Radar: Jumbo Radar is a comprehensive tool to monitor elephant movement outside protected areas and enable seamless data collection and data analysis, thus minimising adverse human-elephant impacts. The app is based on three years of individual elephant monitoring and profiling conducted by Shola Trust and Tamil Nadu Forest Department respectively in Gudalur forest range.
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Wildwatch: WildWatch is an integrated system for mitigating human-wildlife conflicts. Multiple modules work together to provide a reasonable and stable operating environment. When informants (registered users of the Wild Watch app) witness a wildlife conflict, they can use the app to report the incident. This alert will reach the nearest watcher with the exact GPS location and other information.
Sarpa: Aimed at streamlining the rescue of snakes from human habitations, Sarpa (Snake Awareness, Rescue and Protection App) helps minimise threats to snakes and humans and creates awareness among the public about snakes and their important role in the ecosystem. So far, over 40,000 snakes have been rescued through the app in Kerala alone.
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Anti-trap walk monitoring app: This is used to report trap details and remove them from the forest area. Using this app, forest rangers can report any traps they come across while walking in the forest.
Save Trees: This app aims to connect people all over the world to save trees. If you see a tree being cut down, you can post it on the app to let like-minded people nearby know about it.
Whale Shark Rescue App: Report whale sharks and other marine megafauna. Users can take photos and videos of whale sharks and marine megafauna accidentally caught in nets or spotted during voyages. The app works offline.
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