Green Tech: AI tools assisting us in conservation innovation

Our monitoring strategies use camera traps, audio recorders and weather data collecting devices to improve detection and efficiency. Our network of highly sensitive microphones records natural sounds, including the songs of birds and amphibians, as well as sounds such as chainsaws. AI tools allow Jocotoco´s conservation team to automatically identify species, monitor their populations as they change, and pinpoint any human-driven threats in and around our reserves.

This monitoring has yielded significant results in our Canandé Reserve in the Chocó. In fact, in only 25 years, natural regrowth in Canandé has resulted in wildlife returning to once deforested places in a diversity that matches that seen in old-growth rainforests. These results have inspired us to use the monitoring tools in our other protected areas.

Since December 2023, we have begun installing the sound recorders in our Buenaventura and Jorupe reserves. Buenaventura's cloud forest is home to a variety of endangered species, including the El Oro Parakeet and Ecuadorian Tapaculo, as well as the critically endangered Ecuadorian White-fronted Capuchin Monkey. The flora of Buenaventura includes various endemic species such as Magnolia buenaventurensis, a magnolia only found in Buenaventura. Additionally, it serves as a vital location for protecting water sources in the province of El Oro.

In Jorupe, we are protecting an important remnant of Tumbesian dry forest. It has one of the world's highest concentrations of endemic and geographically restricted species, many of which are in danger of extinction, such as Centrolobium ochroxylum, a critically endangered tree. It is also home to birds like the Grey-cheeked Parakeet and White-tailed Jay. Using these monitoring tools, coupled with AI, will teach us how best to protect and restore our wonderful reserves.

How is AI-based forest monitoring performed?

Forest monitoring involves selecting sampling sites at different stages of forest regeneration.

"First, we need to age sampling sites: cleared pastures, recently regrown shrublands, forests from 10 or 20 years of age, and finally, old or mature forests, more complex and diverse, aged over 30 or 40 years. The goal is to study forest regeneration and understand how quickly biological communities restore themselves in the forest," explains David Parra, Conservation Director at Jocotoco.

Sampling sites are researched during the planning phase using maps, property deeds, and the knowledge of local inhabitants and park rangers. These sources help to reconstruct the area's history.

Researchers verify the suitability of the sites during field visits. Once sample sites are confirmed, they set up acoustic monitoring instruments and camera traps. We also deploy temperature and humidity sensors to capture data on weather.

With this data, we are quickly able to identify species and understand their response to different forest conditions. This approach is complemented by field information provided by a botanist who characterizes each monitoring site.

Where do we want to go?

In the future, we expect AI models to enable landscape and regional-scale monitoring. As Martin Schaefer, our CEO, envisions: "This will allow us to measure biodiversity levels in our reserves, neighboring community lands, and national parks, and integrate different conservation models on a regional scale. We are pioneers in using advanced science and technology to protect Ecuador's natural heritage."

You can lead the way in discovering the secrets of Ecuador's forests and support our monitoring efforts with innovative technology.