Bees for trees: testing a potential tool for reducing human-elephant conflict
When times are tough for elephants, knocking over a tree may be the best way to get at the food resources it offers. Trees with bees, however, may avoid damage…
Articles by Sue Palminteri
Sue Palminteri -- Mongabay's wildtech editor, conservation biologist, professional tennis player, and long-time exercise enthusiast -- passed away on November 30th, 2019. She was 54. Sue is greatly missed by her friends, colleagues, and family. Her contributions to conservation were immense.
Counting tigers on smartphones
India’s upcoming All India Tiger Estimation 2018 (read PDF here) is all set to go hi-tech. The plan is to digitize data records with the help of an Android mobile application…
Portable DNA analysis tool identifies species on site to help combat wildlife crime
Each year, trafficking in wildlife parts earns international crime syndicates some $8 billion to $10 billion. A portable DNA analysis tool can now rapidly identify the species of plant and animal samples found on suspected smugglers.
From rescue to research: training detection dogs for conservation
Ecologists on Santa Cruz island off California had a big problem with small creatures. Argentine ants, an invasive species that disturb native bees, ants, and other insects critical to the…
Where one predator meets another: tracking sharks and fishing effort
Technology above the clouds is helping scientists study sharks beneath the waves. A new initiative combines shark movement data with publicly available vessel identification data—both transmitted to researchers via satellite—to…
An early warning system for locating forest loss
A satellite-based alert system can now detect fine-scale deforestation in near-real time, enabling managers or rangers in tropical forests to respond to early stages of deforestation. Anyone can now register…
Crowdsourcing the forest for the trees
A pair of drones and the efforts of nearly 3,000 volunteers have helped scientists carry out a detailed study of the trees within a 400-hectare (1,000-acre) patch of the Amazon,…
New resource for planning camera trapping, acoustic monitoring, and LiDAR projects
A conservation technology team at WWF-UK has produced a series of best-practice guidelines for three key data collection techniques—camera trapping, passive acoustic monitoring, and remote sensing through Light Detection and…
Can technology drive conservation? Experts discuss in Mongabay forum (video)
Can technology drive conservation? That was the question Mongabay founder Rhett Butler recently posed to a panel of three specialists on the frontlines of applying technology to conserve key species…
Suite of free, open-source tools to help even non-experts monitor large-scale land use change
A recent study mapped the world’s dry forests using a relatively new tool that combines creative satellite image analysis with local- and national-scale knowledge. Natural resource agencies worldwide inventory their…
SMART and well-Connected: reserve patrol data system adds communications capacity
Increasingly well-funded poaching gangs, as well as the pressure of ever-growing surrounding human populations, have made protecting wildlife and nature reserves a sometimes dangerous and uncertain way to make a…
Dogs, dung, and DNA: mapping multi-species corridors to conserve threatened carnivores
Large forest carnivores rely on expanses of natural vegetation and enough prey to survive. Misiones province of northeastern Argentina has some of the larger remaining tracts of Atlantic Forest, but…
USAID Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge awards Acceleration Prizes for rapid tech developments
The USAID Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge announced three winners of an Acceleration Prize worth US $100,000 for demonstrating rapid progress in developing a wildlife crime solution system. The Challenge previously…
Scientists sequence plant DNA in the field to identify species within hours
Scientists can now rapidly read the DNA of an organism—even a plant—anywhere. Researchers at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, have recently reported on their use of a handheld real-time DNA…
Capturing the wonder and vulnerability of coral reefs in real-time: Q & A with the director of “Chasing Coral”
Coral reefs support 25% of the world’s marine species, protect shorelines, support fisheries, and encourage eco-tourism—their global economic value is over US $30 billion per year. A new film, “Chasing…
Citizen scientists use mobile apps to help “green” the ocean
Few people get to witness the breadth and wonder of underwater life, from coral to kelp to fish and sea anemones. SCUBA divers gain a unique view of not only…
Spot the pattern: Whisker-prints and citizen science
Recent advancements in technology and social media have spurred the growth of citizen science, a phenomenon through which non-scientists contribute to the collection of scientific data. According to Nature, results…
Rethinking camera traps for the small, fast, and elusive
When you picture (ahem) a photo taken by a camera trap—a remote camera triggered by movement—you might think first of a tiger or some other stealthy forest cat. Recent Wildtech…
DNA barcoding helps identify endangered species from market specimens of sharks and rays
Markets around the world sell products made from the processed parts of wild animals and plants, which are sometimes illegal and mislabeled. A research team using DNA barcoding technology to…
App combines computer vision and crowdsourcing to explore Earth’s biodiversity, one photo at a time
Taxonomy goes online in the 21st century Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution by natural selection was developed in large part from the observations and collections of plants, animals and fossils…
Re-peeling the effects of degradation: low-tech application of orange crop waste shows potential to restore tropical forests
Researchers have come upon a new low-tech tropical forest restoration strategy, beginning with agricultural waste. They studied the effects on soil and forest health of the purposeful deposition of tons…
Scientists combine crowd-sourced field observations with land-use and climate models to identify steps for migratory bird protection
A multi-national research team combined four diverse data sets to understand where migratory birds are most vulnerable to human activity and to identify priorities for protecting long-distance migrants in the…
New genetic analyses help scientists rethink the elephant family tree
The first DNA analysis of ancient straight-tusked elephant fossils may be changing what we know about elephant evolution. Scientists have presumed that a species of giant elephant called Palaeoloxodon antiquus,…
Open-source species location data supports global biodiversity analyses
How many species are living on Earth at this moment in time? Ask a few different scientists and you may get drastically different answers. Most estimates range from 3-10 million…
Low-tech challenges to high-tech forest monitoring: lessons from Ugandan parks
A pair of NGOs teamed up with rangers in four parks in Uganda to assess the potential for cutting-edge forest monitoring technology to support protected area management through early detection…
Animated animals: can games engage an audience with a conservation message?
As technology for data analysis and visualization improves, online gaming could turn out to be a valuable tool for conservation education, advocacy, and funding. Its role in promoting positive change…
Tuna catch monitoring enters the electronic age
A new electronic approach to monitoring tuna fishing fleets is being tested to improve the timeliness and accuracy of catch data, the transparency of tuna supply chains, and the safety…
Camera trapping in the trees
Researchers are branching out from an established monitoring technology to better study elusive canopy species.
Phone app lists ‘Good Fish’ and ‘Bad Fish’ to reduce impacts of cyanide fishing
The fish and other marine life displayed in household or public aquariums may conceal a dark secret. Many of the over 1,800 species of tropical fish bought and sold globally to…
Story-telling app and website help communities improve their ‘backyards’
This is My Backyard (TIMBY) digital tools support safe reporting and story-telling for addressing conflict-prone issues around the globe.
Special series
Forest Trackers
- Bolivia’s El Curichi Las Garzas protected area taken over by land-grabbers
- Authorities struggle to protect Bolivian national park from drug-fueled deforestation
- Poverty and plantations: Nigerian reserve struggles against the odds
- Logging, road construction continue to fuel forest loss in Papua New Guinea
Oceans
- Caribbean startups are turning excess seaweed into an agroecology solution
- Global coral beaching now underway looks set to be largest on record
- In Java Sea, vigilantism and poverty rise as purse seine fishing continues
- As a megaport rises in Cameroon, a delicate coastal ecosystem ebbs
Amazon Conservation
- Brazil boosts protection of Amazon mangroves with new reserves in Pará state
- Cross-border Indigenous efforts in Peru & Brazil aim to protect isolated groups
- A short walk through Amazon time: Interview with archaeologist Anna Roosevelt
- Alis Ramírez: A defender of the Colombian Amazon now living as a refugee in New Zealand
Land rights and extractives
- Hyundai ends aluminum deal with Adaro Minerals following K-pop protest
- Brazil’s illegal gold trade takes a hammering, but persists underground
- Maluku bone collector unearths troubling consequence of coastal abrasion
- New FPIC guide designed to help protect Indigenous rights as mineral mining booms
Endangered Environmentalists
- Indonesian activists face jail over FB posts flagging damage to marine park
- Vietnamese environmentalist sentenced to 3 years in prison for tax evasion
- Son of slain Quilombola leader will still strive for community’s rights
- Video: Five Tembé Indigenous activists shot in Amazonian ‘palm oil war’
Indonesia's Forest Guardians
- Fenced in by Sulawesi national park, Indigenous women make forestry breakout
- In Borneo, the ‘Power of Mama’ fight Indonesia’s wildfires with all-woman crew
- Pioneer agroforester Ermi, 73, rolls back the years in Indonesia’s Gorontalo
- After 20 years and thousands of trees planted, Kalimantan’s veteran forester persists
Conservation Effectiveness
- The conservation sector must communicate better (commentary)
- Thailand tries nature-based water management to adapt to climate change
- Forest restoration to boost biomass doesn’t have to sacrifice tree diversity
- How scientists and a community are bringing a Bornean river corridor back to life
Southeast Asian infrastructure
- Study: Indonesia’s new capital city threatens stable proboscis monkey population
- Indonesia’s new capital ‘won’t sacrifice the environment’: Q&A with Nusantara’s Myrna Asnawati Safitri
- Small farmers in limbo as Cambodia wavers on Tonle Sap conservation rules
- To build its ‘green’ capital city, Indonesia runs a road through a biodiverse forest
