Wildlife trafficking is the illegal trade of wild animals and plants, dead or live specimens or their parts. It has a massive negative effect on the world’s environment, biodiversity, economies, governance and health. It is a form of organized crime that spans across many countries and involves poaching, smuggling, and illegal collection or capture of protected wildlife. 

According to World Wildlife Fund (WWF), wildlife trafficking is the fourth largest form of transnational organized crime, after drugs smuggling, human trafficking and counterfeiting. It is worth an estimated £15 billion per annum. 

Despite being a part of CITES (Convention on International trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and flora), India is currently one of the top 20 countries for wildlife trafficking. Due to its mega-diverse nature and dense population, India serves as both a source, as well as a transit country for illegal wildlife and wildlife products.  

Wildlife trafficking in India 

Elephant tusks, pangolin scales, tiger skins and Indian star tortoise are some of the wildlife parts and derivatives that have been confiscated at Indian airports. With the growth in traveler numbers and increased efficiency of air travel, it has become easier than ever for traffickers to use air travel to move illegal wildlife goods across the globe.  

Atul Bagai, head of UNEP India, had once stated that India is among the top ten countries in terms of using the airline sector for wildlife trafficking. The most reported airports for trafficking were Chennai international, followed by Mumbai and Delhi.

AI to prevent animal poaching and wildlife trafficking 

According to a report from the UN, animal poaching is a global business. It is lucrative, with high demand driving high prices and extremely widespread. For instance, as per the statistics, African elephant populations have fallen from an estimated 12 million a century ago to 400,000. 

The need to stop wildlife trafficking has gained momentum in recent times. Thanks to AI, organizations and state governments can leverage technology to make use of limited resources and take a better approach to catching poachers and to conserve wildlife. 

AI and ML play a key role in assisting law enforcement in taking a smarter approach to tracking poachers by being several steps ahead of them. For instance, PAWS (Protection Assistant for Wildlife Security) is a system which uses poaching data from the WWF’s open SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) and uses game theory in which the player must optimize limited resources to maximize protection against threats and attacks. 

Anti-Poaching Cameras 

Computer Vision cameras are great tools that can help park rangers and organizations detect and prevent animal poaching. These are already being used in national parks for the protection of wildlife. 

The camera functions using video annotation techniques. If it detects humans among the motion-activated images, it triggers electronic alerts to park personnel so they can mobilize rangers. 

Scanning at airports 

A recently published study in the Frontiers in Conservation Science showed the potential for new technology to detect illegal wildlife in luggage or mail. This technology uses AI to recognize the shapes of animals when scanned at international frontlines such as airports and mail centers. 

The study speaks about Real Time Tomography, an imaging technique that uses a series of X-rays to scan an item. It produces the 3D image of the animal, which in turn, is used to develop algorithms. The research is the first to document the use of 3D X-ray CT security scan technology for wildlife protection within the peer-reviewed scientific literature.  

There is no single solution to predict when and where the events will likely take place. Wildlife traffickers may adapt their behaviors frequently to avoid being detected. AI, along with other emerging technologies, are playing a significant role in taking this fight forward. 

Here are some similar stories about AI for wildlife conservation in India:

IIT Madras and Harvard University jointly develop ML algorithm to combat poaching

The forest ecosystem is thriving, thanks to AI intervention

Tamil Nadu to use AI to reduce elephant deaths on railway tracks

AI and remote sensing technology for enhancing wildlife conservation efforts

Sources: 

World Wildlife Forum (WWF) 

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 

Mindy Support 

Phys Org