MODERN TECHNOLOGY IN CONSERVATION

Conner Bradley, Conservation Spotlight, 4/16/2015

"THE GAP BETWEEN WHAT WE KNOW AND DON'T KNOW ABOUT EARTH'S BIODIVERSITY IS STILL TREMENDOUS—BUT TECHNOLOGY IS GOING TO PLAY A MAJOR ROLE IN CLOSING IT AND HELPING US CONSERVE BIODIVERSITY MORE INTELLIGENTLY AND EFFICIENTLY,“ --  LUCAS N. JOPPA

"WITH THESE ADVANCES WE CAN DO MORE THAN CATCH POACHERS: WE CAN PREVENT THE KILLING IN THE FIRST PLACE“

– WCS DAVID WILKE AND ROBERT ROSE

(HTTP://NA.UNEP.NET/GEAS/GETUNEPPAGEWITHARTICLEIDSCRIPT.PHP?ARTICLE_ID=113)

HIGH TECH APPLICATIONS

GIS – INTERPRET DATA, SYMBOLIZE TRENDS, MODEL ECOLOGICAL DYNAMICS

REMOTE SENSING/ SATELLITE IMAGERY -- LAND TYPES, ECOLOGICAL CHANGES

RADIO TELEMETRY – MONITOR MOVEMENTS, RANGE, SOME BEHAVIOR

CAMERA TRAPS -- POPULATION DATA, ANTI-POACHING

AUDIO TRAPS -- MONITOR WILDLIFE SOUNDS, REDUCE POACHING CONFLICTS

DRONES/ REMOTE CONTROL – UNDERSTAND LAND USE, IMAGES OF COVER

DNA AND GENETICS – SPECIES IDENTIFICATION, DISEASE COMBAT

SMART PHONES – SOCIAL MEDIA, PUBLIC INFORMATION, ELEPHANT TEXTING

WILDLIFE TRACKING

RADIO TELEMETRY

RADIO TRACKING INDIVIDUALS USING FREQUENCY SIGNALS

LIMITATIONS TO CONSIDER:

ATTACHMENT METHOD (ANIMAL SIZE AND COLLAR SIZE/WEIGHT)

LENGTH OF DEPLOYMENT (BATTERY LIFE)

RANGE (HOW FAR CAN YOU HEAR IT?)

APPLICATIONS:

POPULATION MODELS,

TRACKING BEHAVIOR.. HOW LONG DOES AN ANIMAL STAY AT A KILL?

SMART COLLARS

USE A COMBINATION OF GLOBAL POSITIONING TECHNOLOGY AND ACCELEROMETERS FOR MEASURING AN ANIMAL’S METABOLIC INNER LIFE IN LEAPING, RUNNING OR SLEEPING

INSIGHT INTO MIGRATORY PATTERNS

DIET INFORMATION

HABITAT INFORMATION

WHAT, WHEN, WHERE, WHY?

PREDICTING WILD BEHAVIOR

PROTECTING HUMAN INTERACTIONS

IMPLICATIONS

NEGATIVE:

• AESTHETIC VALUE IN NOT KNOWING – WILDLIFE MORE MYSTERIOUS…

•  ”ONE IN THE GROUP WORE A COLLAR, AND THIS SAME ANIMAL SAT DOWN–REPEATEDLY–TO SCRATCH LIKE A FLEABAG AT HER ITCHY NECK. EVEN AFTER HER PACK MATES BEDDED DOWN FOR A SIESTA, THE UNRELENTING TORMENT KEPT HER FROM RESTING; SHE’D JUMP UP AGAIN AND AGAIN TO HAVE ANOTHER GO AT IT.”

POSITIVE:

• RESEARCH EXPANSION, AWARENESS, KNOWLEDGE OF ECOLOGY, CONSERVATION

• WHAT ARE SOME OTHER IMPLICATIONS YOU CAN THINK OF??

(HINT: THINK ABOUT THE LAB DISCUSSION ON WOLVES…)

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS

WHAT IS GIS?

“A geographic information system (GIS) integrates hardware, software, and data for

capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced

information. GIS allows us to view, understand, question,

interpret, and visualize data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts…”

Created With Satellite Imagery

Privet Highlighted in red.

Useful for treatment and conservation

Understanding or Highlighting tree species

Analyzing Invasive Species

GIS to model species invasions- Invasive species - Ecological impacts of colonization

Habitat Connectivity- GIS can be used to identify remaining

areas of primary ecological significance - Metapopulations

Prioritization of Land Acquisition- GIS is used to analyze such important

factors as cost, species presence and disturbance factors in order to determine the priority of available land parcels for acquisition.

EVERYTHING CAN BE MAPPED!!!!

Conservation Applications

QUESTIONS?

SOURCES

HTTP://NEWS.MONGABAY.COM/NEWS-INDEX/TECHNOLOGY%20AND%20CONSERVATION1.HTML – TECH AND CONSERVATION IDEAS

HTTP://CONSERVINGBIODIVERSITY.YOLASITE.COM/POPULATION-MANAGEMENT.PHP - TELEMETRY INFO

HTTP://WWW.TREEHUGGER.COM/GADGETS/WAYS-TECHNOLOGY-SAVING-ENDANGERED-SPECIES.HTML -- PICTURES AND INFO

HTTP://NA.UNEP.NET/GEAS/GETUNEPPAGEWITHARTICLEIDSCRIPT.PHP?ARTICLE_ID=113 – FIGHTING WILDLIFE CRIME

HTTP://WWW.GISLOUNGE.COM/CONSERVATION-BIOLOGY-AND-GIS/ -- CONSERVATION APPLICATIONS FOR GIS