This year has been a year in which AI has been in the headlines, and the Department of Conservation, which manages New Zealand's forest parks, national parks and other environmental conservation areas and carries out all kinds of activities to protect nature, is no exception, and has begun using AI to protect birds.
Birds made extinct by humans
New Zealand used to be a paradise for birds, with no mammals in existence. However, in the 1200s and 1300s, the ancestors of the Maori people arrived in New Zealand from Polynesia. As humans began to live there, deforestation and overhunting of birds progressed.
In 1769, Captain James Cook, a British naval officer and maritime explorer, reached New Zealand, and European settlement began, bringing with it a variety of exotic birds, deer, goats, pigs, rabbits, sheep, possums and other mammals.
It is said that as many as 50 species of birds have become extinct, including the moa , a giant bird that became "flightless" because it had no predators.
Many birds, including the kiwi, New Zealand's iconic flightless bird, and the kakapo, a flightless parrot, are currently at risk of extinction.
A kakapo is a bird like this. It's plump and cute.
AI analyzes external enemies
To protect the birds from predators, the Cacophony Project, a Christchurch -based non-profit organisation, has developed software that uses AI to analyse footage.
"There's no need for humans to sit in front of a monitor for long periods of time, look at the footage captured by the camera, and count the number of predators that pose a danger to the birds, such as 'There were seven possums and three weasels last night.' AI can do that for them."
said Director Helicar.
The AI analyzes images from infrared thermography cameras installed in the forest, identifies the type of predator seen, and outputs the number of predators in a single report. If the AI cannot identify the predator, it will issue an alert, allowing humans to carry out further investigation.
“Investing in technology like this now is essential if we are to achieve our ambitious goal of eradicating invasive species that threaten birds by 2050. We are constantly introducing new technologies, but AI is well suited to the mundane, everyday tasks, such as video analysis.”
A representative from the Ministry of the Environment also commented:
It is currently in operation near Christchurch, but it is expected to be introduced to analyze the footage from forest surveillance cameras throughout the country in the future. In addition, it seems that development of high-performance infrared cameras that are smaller, cheaper, and require less maintenance is also progressing. The goal is to make it possible for the cameras to automatically send images to the cloud, so that humans do not have to patrol the forests as frequently.
The Cacophony Project is an organization that develops various tools to protect the environment. They are one of the first to use AI, and are not only monitoring predators but also analyzing bird calls.
Kakapo returns to mainland for the first time in 40 years
The kakapo were recently relocated to the mainland for the first time in 40 years.
To protect the birds from predators, many bird sanctuaries have been created on remote islands in New Zealand where no mammals live. The kakapos were transported from Queenstown to Auckland on an Air New Zealand flight from one of these islands, Whenua What/Codfish Island, to a 34 million square meter bird sanctuary in the Waikato region of the North Island.
In 1995, the kakapo population dropped to just 51 birds, but they have since successfully increased their numbers to 248.
It is still unknown whether the kakapos on the remote island will be able to settle on the mainland, but the fact that they have been protected on the mainland is a major achievement.
Kakapos are very good at camouflage, so it may be difficult to see one even if you visit a protected area, but the day when you will be able to hear their cries may be approaching soon.
