With new technologies revolutionizing data collection, wildlife researchers are becoming increasingly able to collect data at much higher volumes than ever before. Now we are facing the challenges of putting this information to use, bringing the science of big data into the conservation arena. With the help of machine learning tools, this area holds immense potential for conservation practices. The applications range from online trafficking alerts to species-specific early warning systems to efficient movement and biodiversity monitoring and beyond.
However, the process of building effective machine learning tools depends upon large amounts of standardized training data, and conservationists currently lack an established system for standardization. How to best develop such a system and incentivize data sharing are questions at the forefront of this work. There are currently multiple AI-based conservation initiatives, including Wildlife Insights and WildBook, that are pioneering applications on this front.
This group is the perfect place to ask all your AI-related questions, no matter your skill level or previous familiarity! You'll find resources, meet other members with similar questions and experts who can answer them, and engage in exciting collaborative opportunities together.
Just getting started with AI in conservation? Check out our introduction tutorial, How Do I Train My First Machine Learning Model? with Daniel Situnayake, and our Virtual Meetup on Big Data. If you're coming from the more technical side of AI/ML, Sara Beery runs an AI for Conservation slack channel that might be of interest. Message her for an invite.
Header Image: Dr Claire Burke / @CBurkeSci
Explore the Basics: AI
Understanding the possibilities for incorporating new technology into your work can feel overwhelming. With so many tools available, so many resources to keep up with, and so many innovative projects happening around the world and in our community, it's easy to lose sight of how and why these new technologies matter, and how they can be practically applied to your projects.
Machine learning has huge potential in conservation tech, and its applications are growing every day! But the tradeoff of that potential is a big learning curve - or so it seems to those starting out with this powerful tool!
To help you explore the potential of AI (and prepare for some of our upcoming AI-themed events!), we've compiled simple, key resources, conversations, and videos to highlight the possibilities:
Three Resources for Beginners:
- Everything I know about Machine Learning and Camera Traps, Dan Morris | Resource library, camera traps, machine learning
- Using Computer Vision to Protect Endangered Species, Kasim Rafiq | Machine learning, data analysis, big cats
- Resource: WildID | WildID
Three Forum Threads for Beginners:
- I made an open-source tool to help you sort camera trap images | Petar Gyurov, Camera Traps
- Batch / Automated Cloud Processing | Chris Nicolas, Acoustic Monitoring
- Looking for help with camera trapping for Jaguars: Software for species ID and database building | Carmina Gutierrez, AI for Conservation
Three Tutorials for Beginners:
- How do I get started using machine learning for my camera traps? | Sara Beery, Tech Tutors
- How do I train my first machine learning model? | Daniel Situnayake, Tech Tutors
- Big Data in Conservation | Dave Thau, Dan Morris, Sarah Davidson, Virtual Meetups
Want to know more about AI, or have your specific machine learning questions answered by experts in the WILDLABS community? Make sure you join the conversation in our AI for Conservation group!
- @affiliatepurna
- | general email id
Purna Man Shrestha is a program coordinator of mountain spirit, Nepal. He has 6 years of working experience in human wildlife interaction focusing on wildcats, and conflicts. He has a good knowledge on wildlife survey techniques, field survey, stakeholder engagement
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Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Deputy Technology Manager
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working on the digital transformation for environment, climate, and conservation
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- @raquelgo
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Software Engineer
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- @Jaeyoung
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I am a member of the Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability Lab (DESIS Lab) at Yonsei University, where I am pursuing a master's degree in Human Environment and Design. My study is about sustainable HCI, children's connection to nature, and product-service design.
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American Museum of Natural History
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- @tadeotw
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- @Tracks_Ecology
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Ecological Consultant focussing on the use of UAV and GIS to advance applied ecological reasearch
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My main interest is in the application of geospatial technology for ecology and conservation
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- @bradnahill
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SEE Turtles
Brad has worked in sea turtle conservation & ecotourism for 20+ years. He is the lead writer of Sea Turtle Research and Conservation and co-author of the Worldwide Travel Guide to Sea Turtles. He has won the President's Award from the International Sea Turtle Society.
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Article
Introducing the WILDLABS On the Edge Fellows
WILDLABS Team
We're proud to introduce the first WILDLABS On the Edge Fellows for 2022, Loretta Schindlerova and Meredith Palmer! Working alongside expert Edge Impulse mentors, these two fellows will use embedded machine learning to...
10 February 2022
Article
WILDLABS Fellowships & Awards: Matchmaking between tech and conservation
Stephanie O'Donnell
We have a big vision for our Fellowships & Awards Programme: to create a better way for the tech industry to more meaningfully and impactfully engage with our conservation community. As we open our first fellowships...
28 January 2022
Article
Deep Learning for Marine Ecology and Conservation
Ellie Warren
This article provides a review of deep learning (predominantly ML) used in marine ecology and considerations for its future directions in conservation. In plain language, the authors provide a methodology for training...
20 December 2021
Community Announcement
AI for Conservation Office Hours: 2021 Review
WILDLABS Admin
We've wrapped our first AI for Conservation Office Hours, a new programme where we set up 1:1 sessions with conservationists using or thinking about using AI so they could receive expert guidance from data scientists at...
14 December 2021
Article
This study breaks ground in outlining a methodology for a system of low-cost, long-term camera traps (Dispersed Environment Acquatic Cameras) that can be deployed over large spatial scales in remote marine environments...
30 November 2021
Article
In pursuit of saving the Monarch butterflies, Carlo Mondavi- pioneer of the Monarch challenge- was inspired to develop the world's first fully electric smart tractor tractor with co-founder and Chief Executive, Praveen...
29 November 2021
Article
Environmental Data Justice
Joycelyn_Longdon
This research article explores the challenges of achieving environmental data justice, with the continued advancement in technology and growth in available data. The author emphasises the necessity to prioritise ...
26 November 2021
Article
Technical Difficulties: The Promise and Pitfalls of Machine Learning for Conservation
Sara Beery and 1 more
In Ellie Warren's interview with Sara Beery as part of the Technical Difficulties Editorial Series, they discussed how the hype surrounding machine learning impacts our perceptions of failure, and how conservationists...
23 November 2021
Article
Caiman: Images as Sources of Intelligence
Sensing Clues Foundation
CAIMAN is a product from the Sensing Clues Foundation that automatically classifies animals on images from camera traps. It aims to be available by the end of 2021, contact the Sensing Clues team for more details. This...
18 November 2021
Funding
Opportunity: GEO-Microsoft Planetary Computer Programme
Group on Earth Observations (GEO)
The GEO-Microsoft Planetary Computer Programme invites the GEO community to be among the early adopters of Microsoft's Planetary Computer. The Programme will support a number of 12-month projects that use The Planetary...
4 November 2021
Article
EarthRanger Announces Inaugural Conservation Tech Award Recipients
Allen Institute for AI
On 3rd November 2021, Earthranger Announced Giraffe Conservation Foundation and Lion Guardians as the inaugral Conservation Tech Award Recipients. The two organizations are Harnessing the Power of Technology to Protect...
3 November 2021
Funding
The Centre for Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, a research group within the Department of Statistical Sciences at the University of Cape Town, is now hiring for a funded postdoc or PhD postion with...
1 November 2021
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January 2023
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| Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Really interesting, I will take a look |
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AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Data management and processing tools, Emerging Tech | 9 months 3 weeks ago | |
| Great new!! |
+15
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AI for Conservation | 9 months 3 weeks ago | |
| Hi Carly, thank you for the advice! I am only focusing on the two birds for now - my goal is to use part of the iNaturalist data I have pulled to train the model and the rest to... |
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AI for Conservation | 9 months 3 weeks ago | |
| Thank you so much! Now everything is in the hands of amazing organizations and companies! But the first results of the Disaster Management cohort are bringing a very optimistic... |
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AI for Conservation, Climate Change, Early Career, East Africa Community, eDNA & Genomics, Emerging Tech, Ending Wildlife Trafficking Online, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Open Source Solutions | 9 months 3 weeks ago | |
| great! |
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AI for Conservation | 9 months 3 weeks ago | |
| interesting!!! |
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AI for Conservation, Animal Movement, Data management and processing tools | 9 months 3 weeks ago | |
| so great!!! |
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Software Development, AI for Conservation, Animal Movement | 9 months 3 weeks ago | |
| @bluevalhalla thanks for sharing the awesome video, sounds like a great project! |
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AI for Conservation | 9 months 3 weeks ago | |
| Hi everyone, I am conducting a research project as part of my MSc in Environment and Development at the London School of Economics. I... |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Autonomous Camera Traps for Insects, Ethics of Conservation Tech | 10 months ago | |
| @cmwainaina please take a look |
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Animal Movement, AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Connectivity, Data management and processing tools, East Africa Community, Emerging Tech, Ethics of Conservation Tech, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Marine Conservation, Protected Area Management Tools, Geospatial, Sensors, Software Development | 10 months ago | |
| Glad to announce that a new tutorial is available on Firetail: |
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AI for Conservation, Animal Movement | 10 months 2 weeks ago | |
| The use of synthetic training data such as interpolated sequence values is common, but fraught with the issue of your synthetic signal generating features that are not true to... |
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Data management and processing tools, AI for Conservation | 10 months 3 weeks ago |
