AI to protect endangered forest elephants in Central Africa
IBM, one of the world’s largest IT companies, and WWF-Germany have announced a groundbreaking collaboration to develop an AI solution for conserving critically endangered African forest elephants in the Congo Basin. The project will utilise IBM's AI-powered visual inspection technology to enhance elephant tracking and identification from camera trap photos in countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo.
African forest elephant populations in these Central African nations have plummeted by over 80% in recent years due to habitat loss and poaching. This innovative initiative aims to improve the accuracy of identifying individual elephants, crucial for effective conservation efforts in the dense rainforests of the Congo Basin.
The AI solution, leveraging IBM Maximo Visual Inspection software, will analyse images from camera traps, focusing on head and tusk recognition. This technology not only aids wildlife conservation in the Congo region but also helps assess the financial value of nature's contributions, such as carbon sequestration services provided by these elephants.
By harnessing technology to track and value natural capital in Central Africa, this collaboration marks a significant step towards integrating AI with conservation efforts, potentially unlocking new opportunities for climate change mitigation and sustainable finance investments in the region.
Source: Indian Web2
