The University of Bristol and the Bristol Zoological Society (BZS) are pioneering a new approach to wildlife conservation, involving machine-learning and drone technology, which could impact wildlife conservation projects worldwide.
With funding from Cabot Institute for the Environment, BZS and the EPSRC’s CASCADE grant, a joint team flew to Cameroon in December to trial the use of drones, sensor technologies and deployment techniques to monitor populations of the Critically Endangered Kordofan giraffe at Bénoué National Park.
“There has been a significant and drastic decline recently of larger mammals in the park and it is vital that accurate measurements of populations can be established to guide our conservation actions,” said Dr Gráinne McCabe, Head of Field Conservation and Science at Bristol Zoological Society.
“Bénoué National Park is very difficult to patrol on foot and large parts are virtually inaccessible, presenting a huge challenge for wildlife monitoring. What’s more, the giraffe are very well camouflaged and often found in small, transient groups,” said Dr Caspian Johnson, Conservation Science Lecturer at Bristol Zoological Society.
Read more at University of Bristol
Image: Field team (left to right): Duncan Hine, Ben Schellenberg, Caspian Johnson, Grainne McCabe, Matt Watson, Tom Richardson and Will Walker. (Credit: University of Bristol and Bristol Zoological Society)