Blog: Creating the Tools to Conserve our Wildlife
Conservation tools vary, but are united in their potential to aid conservation of wildlife
- 22 August 2023
- Haptic Intelligence
We have published a perspectives piece on the different tools used throughout the world that are aiding in conservation of wildlife, and helping preserve the biodiversity of our planet. The perspectives highlight advances in technology, including both hardware and software, as well as frugal resources that are changing the way animals are conserved. For researchers and persons interested in learning about the ways conservation technology and tools are created and the foundational building blocks this piece serves as a starter guide to the field.
Author: Andrew Schulz
Figure 1. A guide for creating conservation tools and the technologies these tools are leveraging.
We are currently experiencing the sixth mass extinction on our planet. Rapid biodiversity loss is impacting every corner of the globe with species of plants, mammals, fish, and reptiles going extinct due to the changing climate. At the same time we are experiencing technological advancements of low-cost hardware, open-source software, machine learning, and more. But how are these connected?
While much of the climate crisis and biodiversity loss looks grim, we crafted an interdisciplinary team of scientists from the Haptic Intelligence Department at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, USA to highlight some of the up-and-coming tools that are helping address this challenging biodiversity crisis. Led by me, Andrew Schulz, a postdoctoral researcher from MPI-IS we reviewed projects from around the world and created a starter guide for researchers looking at novel techniques and tools.
Figure 2. Foundational flowchart of development of conservation tools incorporating advancement of technologies while allowing accessibility, open-source innovation, and do no harm mentality.
In a research paper published in Journal of the Royal Society Interface on 15 August 2023, we presented a starter guide highlighting five case studies of conservation tools including: Open-source innovation, environmental DNA, computer vision, game theory/optimization, and finally frugal technology. We researchers do a deep dive into each of these case studies and introduce terms for readers to understand the connections between conservation science and these advancing scientific fields. We also highlight the importance of indigenous design in these conservation tool interventions and not employing toxic practices such as colonization of conservation or parasitic conservation.
Intelligent Systems for Wildlife Conservation
The research highlights the use of computer vision for conservation of wildlife through re-identification of animal’s species. Figure 3 highlights the use of a trained image classifier model to identify elephants. Additionally, there are case studies of employing game and optimization techniques to help inform conservation practices, such as deployment of anti-poaching teams, or ideas of targeted rabies prevention. Many broader applications for conservation of wildlife can be accomplished using computer vision including ideas of a Three-D Safari, published by the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and collaborators in 2019. Through new and advancing technology and accessible hardware and software we can all work to conserve wildlife.
Figure 3. Image of machine learning Re-ID method pipeline for conservation of wildlife.
The DOI for this paper is https://doi.org/10.1098/rsif.2023.0232
Disclaimer: The blog posts on this website are written by researchers affiliated with the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems. The views and opinions expressed in these posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems or the Max Planck Society. The posts are intended to share the research findings and insights of the authors and to stimulate discussion and debate among the academic community and the public. The authors are solely responsible for the accuracy, completeness, and validity of the information presented in their posts.
