Tracking wildlife recovery with AI, machine learning
May 11, 2023 7:34 PM Subscribe
World Wildlife Fund tracks wildlife recovery from Black Summer bushfires with AI, machine learning. Wildlife experts are surprised to see animal populations recovering across eastern Australia following the devastating 2019–2020 Black Summer bushfires.
The Eyes on Recovery project conducted by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Conservation International, and local land managers and research organisations is using artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor the recovery of animal populations since the 2019–20 bushfires.
Across eight fire-affected regions in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Victoria 1,100 sensor cameras were installed.
Researchers collected more than 7 million photos that were analysed using AI technology to identify more than 150 native animals.
WWF program coordinator Emma Spencer said the results have generally been positive.
"Even deep within those heavily fire-impacted areas there are signs of recovery, from threatened species like koalas," she said.
"In the East Gippsland area, in particular, we've been getting a lot of images of our beautiful long-nosed potoroos, which are endangered in the region."
The Eyes on Recovery project conducted by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Conservation International, and local land managers and research organisations is using artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor the recovery of animal populations since the 2019–20 bushfires.
Across eight fire-affected regions in South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Victoria 1,100 sensor cameras were installed.
Researchers collected more than 7 million photos that were analysed using AI technology to identify more than 150 native animals.
WWF program coordinator Emma Spencer said the results have generally been positive.
"Even deep within those heavily fire-impacted areas there are signs of recovery, from threatened species like koalas," she said.
"In the East Gippsland area, in particular, we've been getting a lot of images of our beautiful long-nosed potoroos, which are endangered in the region."
It's great to hear animal populations are recovering! Also those dingo pups are adorable. Hopefully steps are being taken to mitigate the effects of the next bad bushfire season.
This seems like a pretty great use of ML, and maybe a more typical use case than you'd expect from the current discourse around AI?
posted by Gerald Bostock at 12:42 PM on May 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
This seems like a pretty great use of ML, and maybe a more typical use case than you'd expect from the current discourse around AI?
posted by Gerald Bostock at 12:42 PM on May 12, 2023 [1 favorite]
Automating the analysis of audio is also probably a good opportunity. You can leave a recording station in a remote place for months, but then you have a ton of audio to "listen" to. Much easier if you can at least get an automated process to identify probable bird calls or whatnot.
posted by snofoam at 2:52 PM on May 12, 2023
posted by snofoam at 2:52 PM on May 12, 2023
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I live in East Gippsland. The last three years have been amazingly wet compared to any of the last twenty, and apart from causing massive floods all down the Murray Darling basin that's prompted bush regrowth in these parts the like of which I've never seen.
That's because all three have been La Niña years, quite probably because of the sheer volume of smoke from the 2019-20 bushfires.
Next year, though, is shaping up to be a belter of an El Niño. And because that's going to be dealing with three years' worth of La Niña-patterned oceanic heat absorption, I'm not expecting it to settle down quickly.
If El Niño doesn't hang about for at least two years I'll be amazed, and once the insanely prolific growth we've seen for the last three gets dried out and crisped up by that I think we're in for another truly vicious bushfire season in 2025.
Enjoy it while you can, potoroos.
posted by flabdablet at 12:24 AM on May 12, 2023 [1 favorite]