Organisers: Zoological Gardens of Berlin, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin
Animals perceive our world in ways we never could. They sense changes and understand connections hidden to humans. This knowledge can be crucial to conservationists addressing pressing environmental challenges such as the loss of biodiversity caused by climate change, habitat degradation, wildlife diseases or environmental crime. In this session, the audience will be introduced to a new approach that uses real-time sensor data from sentinel animals, processed by AI, to gain rapid insight into changes in ecosystems. In times of rapid environmental change, sound knowledge and a quick response to threats are key for successful interventions.
The Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin is part of the GAIA initiative and, together with the Zoological Gardens of Berlin and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, is developing a new generation of animal tags with a built-in artificial intelligence (AI) for behaviour recognition to make rapidly occurring changes in the environment detectable. The new AI- supported animal tags can detect a range of behaviours in real-time and combine it with spatial data, allowing scientists and conservationists to draw conclusions about the animals' surroundings. A satellite communication module will send this information to conservation bodies– without delay and from anywhere in the wild. This new approach enables unprecedented insights into ecosystems and improves environmental monitoring, research and conservation alike – by joining animal, human and artificial intelligence into one global network of intelligences.
The Zoological Gardens of Berlin actively contribute to species conservation through meaningful partnerships around the globe. With more than 5.5 million visitors per year, the facilities offer a broad spectrum of people access to nature and environmental education.
The Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research in Berlin is an internationally recognised research institute that focuses on understanding the adaptability of wildlife in the context of global change and contributing to the conservation of healthy wildlife populations.