Technology is helping wildlife experts in Africa to protect endangered giraffes and to reintroduce them to areas where they had previously died out.
An estimated 117,000 giraffes remain in the wild, and some species are critically endangered, having suffered from illegal hunting and habitat loss, according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. New technologies, including AI software, are helping scientists to recognize specific giraffes based on their unique spot patterns. And satellite imagery is helping conservationists identify suitable habitats for them.
“[We] get glimpses into the lives of giraffes that we previously couldn’t see,” said Michael Brown, a conservation ecologist with the foundation. “These glimpses … inform conservation management.”
Based in Namibia, the foundation and its partners protect giraffes across 40 million hectares in 21 African countries. Giraffes live in areas ranging from lush savanna to sparse desert, and from protected wildlife refuges to lands that put the animals in close contact with people.
Along with partners, including the Virginia-based Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in the United States, the foundation uses GPS (Global Positioning System) devices to track giraffes. EarthRanger, part of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, a Seattle-based nonprofit, quickly transmits data to local partners, alerting them to when an animal has strayed from a protected area or stopped moving and thus may need assistance.
In August 2023, Jennifer R. Littlejohn, the U.S. Department of State’s acting assistant secretary of state for oceans and international environmental and scientific affairs, met with scientists working on EarthRanger in Seattle and highlighted the importance of conservationists, technologists and government working together to further use of AI and satellite imagery to solve problems facing people and nature.
The ability to recognize spot patterns, which traditionally required scores of volunteers, Brown said, helps researchers accurately count giraffe populations and better understand an animal’s behavior. U.S. researchers use similar technology to recognize North American brown bears by their facial features.
“Knowing them as individuals helps us get a much clearer picture” of how giraffes interact with their habitats, Brown said. That information helps researchers better determine where giraffe populations are likely to increase over time.
Ecologists have successfully moved giraffes to new areas, including lands where they had previously died out. Databases owned by NASA, the U.S. space agency, and by the U.S. Geological Survey provide information from satellite images to determine whether giraffes are likely to thrive. Online tools such as Google Earth also inform the analysis.
“Rapid leaps in the last decade with GPS technology and with satellite imagery,” Brown said, motivate ecologists to continue their efforts.