Automated wildlife monitoring technology

Abstract

Despite the importance that wildlife monitoring plays in management and decision making, current detection and monitoring tools (such as tracking tunnels, camera traps, sticky traps, artificial cover objects, wax tags and trapping methods), fall well below optimal requirements. These methods are labour intensive, inaccurate, require expertise for interpretation, are limited by weather and operational timeframes, and have low detection rates for many species. Over the last few years, our research consortium has successfully developed a new technology for animal detection and monitoring, using ‘digital’ trackpads. The system works by obtaining prints from animals running over a digital surface and runs a series of algorithms to identify the species. The data (including species ID, location, time and date of interaction), can then be provided remotely to relevant individuals/parties. Critically, the digital trackpads can automatically isolate and assess all animal interactions, requiring minimal, if any, human data analysis, even for weeks of data collection. This presentation will provide an overview of how the system works, and outline results of trials conducted in NZ and Australia which demonstrate the applicability of the system for multiple uses. The technology has been proven highly sensitive and adaptable to a large array of species, and has multiple applications in the field of wildlife management.