Just as the tragic death of Cecil the Lion awoke the world to the cruelty of trophy hunting, there was also another, less reported, but potentially positive aspect to that story. We only knew of Cecil’s demise due to the collar he was wearing, which was just one example of how we are using technologies to better understand and monitor the natural world.
“New, emerging technology can build on this success, while bringing society as a whole closer to wild places,” writes Mira Inbar for GreenBiz. “New information and ways of looking at the world will make us more empathetic, and ultimately force us to change our behaviour to be better stewards of the natural world.”
in Brief
- We can tag and track whale shark populations from space, using remote sensing, monitoring their migration and protecting them from poaching.
- In Belize, Palau and Australia, drones have identified fishing vessels that were overfishing and fishing in restricted waters.
- PETA is using virtual reality to allow people to step into the experience of the Orca whale, in its latest protest against Sea World.
In Depth
- Read the whole article on GreenBiz
- Support WildCru, the research team working with Cecil the Lion.
- Read “Life with the Lions: revisited” about the work of conservationists like WildCru and its benefits for conservation.
