AI revolutionises wildlife protection and conservation

In a pioneering approach to the conservation of endangered species, scientists are now utilising Artificial Intelligence (AI) to monitor and safeguard animals such as elephants, rhinos, tigers, and whales.

Notably, an AI system has been developed for identifying individual elephants through their calls. A brainchild of researchers from Cornell University and the University of Oxford, the system employs deep learning to analyse the frequency and duration of elephant vocalisations, cross-referencing them with a database of known elephants. This enhances tracking movements, understanding social interactions, and detecting signs of poaching or humanelephant conflicts.

Another AI tool was developed by Portland-based conservation tech nonprofit Wild Me, which automatically identifies individual animals by their unique coat patterns, or other hallmark features, such as fluke or ear outlines. Called Wildbook, the system is instrumental in recognising individual animals based on distinctive features like stripes, spots, or scars. Wildbook scans images and videos from social media, citizen scientists, and conservation organisations, matching them with existing records to estimate population size, assess distribution, and monitor the survival and reproduction of endangered species.

Moreover, a collaborative effort by researchers from the University of Southern California and Microsoft has resulted in the AI system Protection Assistant for Wildlife Security (PAWS). This system predicts potential poaching areas by employing machine learning to analyse historical data on poaching activities and environmental factors such as terrain, roads, and vegetation. PAWS then generates patrol routes for rangers, maximising their effectiveness in apprehending poachers and preventing future crimes.