How data analytics is helping address wildlife crime
How data analytics is helping address wildlife crime
IT Data Solutions
The coronavirus pandemic has brought urgent global attention to illegal wildlife trade that has been spreading through complex and global supply chains. Globally the illegal wildlife trade industry is estimated to be worth around 20 bn dollars annually and is driven by a worldwide network of corruption, greed and ignorance.
Report from the UN on the state of biodiversity of the planet is alarming and alerts that human-induced pressures are causing an unprecedented crisis on the health of our biodiversity. The premise of that report is that we are on the verge of 6th mass extinction. At present rates of decline, we could lose one million species to extinction, many of them within the next decade itself. Illegal wildlife trade is both directly and indirectly responsible for this major collapse in biodiversity health.
The Challenge
Governments, international NGOs and global organizations are working together to address and tackle this growing menace. And analytics technology is coming to help here. Although there are strict laws in place, their enforcement and tracking are only successful to a limited degree. Tech is lending a helping hand with big data and automation solutions. The cloud, AI and data-driven technologies are becoming of increasing use for conservationists and policymakers to design effective programmes and tackle the entire illegal wildlife supply chain from bottom to top levels of the pyramid.
How Analytics Technology Is Coming To The Aid
Internationally, countries have designated special zones, in the form of national parks and wildlife reserves where strict laws are in place to prosecute offenders. However, the challenge arises concerning tracking illegal activities due to the lack of sufficient resources. Especially at nature parks, which cover hundreds of square kilometres; effective monitoring to cover every inch space is difficult. Sophisticated technology is aiding human rangers through drone-based and other forms of surveillance tech to increase their footprint, where they can’t be available themselves.
