From citizen science breakthroughs to the war on poaching, the technology we use will shape the future of conservation. As diverse as the wildlife it is intended to protect, tech savvy alternatives to practical work have become the industry standard. You will be hard pressed to find a conservationist, researcher or general enthusiast who has not converted to making a difference through using apps, virtual museums or GPS mapping. They are able to bring thousands of bits of information to the right people instantaneously from anywhere in the world. Let's take a look at some of our favorites.
1 ) Animal Demography Unit (ADU) :
The ADU concept was born decades ago in Cape Town. Their mission statement reads as follows:
‘The mission of the Avian Demography Unit is to contribute to the understanding of animal populations, especially population dynamics, and thus provide input to their conservation. We achieve this through mass participation projects, long-term monitoring, innovative statistical modelling and population-level interpretation of results. The emphasis is on the curation, analysis, publication and dissemination of data.’
This incredible partnership between postgraduate researchers at the University of Cape Town and the citizens of South Africa has changed the game for conservation species understanding. It works by registered users (atlassers) seeing, identifying and uploading pictures of different animals which are verified and accompanied by a GPS point. Each year the aim is to have full coverage of all pentads of South Africa. Understanding where these species exist enable the researchers with the crucial data in correctly developing endangered species lists and distribution maps and migration patterns. It is now regarded as the basis on which environmental impact assessments can be done. Starting with birds and moving on to butterflies, frogs, reptiles the ADU and its users have made a difference. Imagine being the person who contributed the needed data to stop a construction project or mine from going forward and forcing a species into extinction. All this at the push of a button on your smartphone.
2) Identification APPS :
Walking through Kruger National Park you could encounter around 400 butterflies, close to 100 mammals, and hundreds of different plant and tree varieties. It is a pristine natural gold mine for ecologists and tourists alike. To understand this environment our rangers dedicate years studying the flora and fauna, taking notes and burying themselves in bookcases when we are back home to find answers to our questions. Imagine carrying the bookcase, the knowledge and the lecturer with you in your pocket. This is what species apps have given us! A fast track life hack to learning. What used to take an hour to look up can now be learnt in minutes. One plant app allows users to take a picture of a flower or leaf and through facial recognition technology identifies the species on the spot. Our birding apps play bird calls, give distribution maps, explain behavior and more. Link this up to GPS and the technology explained in number 1 above and you have contributing citizen scientists learning and protecting our natural environment at the same time.
3) Astronomy APPS :
This blog would not be complete without due respect to the advancement in Astronomical smartphone apps. To anyone who has not sat under an African sky and looked up in wonder at the mass of celestial marvel, you have something to look forward to. Take a star walk... view planets, moons, constellations and hidden gems. Using an aim, point and click strategy allows anyone to be engulfed in the night sky with a multitude of drop down information to accompany what you are looking at. As somebody who passed their exams on the old star charts that you would have to hold to the sky and shine a light on then move to try see the reality, i can tell you right now technology wins this bout. Downloaded onto a smartphone, or even better a tablet, I was able to teach new rangers and guests alike what used to take a month of studying. And all in minutes from the back of a land rover parked in the middle of the African bush.
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