Poaching is a massive problem, resulting in the unnecessary deaths and capture of millions of animals each year.
In resource-starved countries, finding and prosecuting these elaborate poaching operations can be difficult. But new technologies can help. Bangladesh, for example, has recently found success using drones to monitor poaching hotspots.
Mongabay told the story of Abdullah As Sadeque, a forest department wildlife inspector whose job is to catch bird poachers in the South Asian nation. By using drone cameras, Sadeque was able to find many bird traps in a remote swampland, resulting in several birds' rescue, and two poachers being arrested and jailed.
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Definitely 👍 "If we had tried to patrol the vast waterbody, it would have taken an entire day," Sadeque told Mongabay. "We completed the task using a drone and traced the traps in about 15 minutes."
The United Nations sent high-tech equipment, including drones, to Bangladesh to help officials there fight wildlife poaching. Officials said they may have been able to stop more wildlife deaths within the past year if they'd had the equipment sooner.
Jennifer Noll, a law enforcement and investigation expert who helped train Bangladesh wildlife inspectors on these new technologies, told Mongabay they are "essential" tools to combat poaching.
This is just the latest example of drones being used in smart, eco-friendly ways. On farms, they can be used for crop management while reducing chemical use by up to 15%. In Brazilian forests, they're dispersing seeds in hard-to-reach areas, boosting reforestation efforts.
Drones are even being used on the world's tallest mountain. Climbing season results in tons of waste being left on Mount Everest, but drones are now being deployed to help remove that trash.
Bangladesh also uses social technology to help catch poachers, Mongabay said. The nation's Wildlife Crime Control Unit uses Facebook and WhatsApp to connect with conservation groups and thousands of volunteers across the nation who can send in tips to the unit. Since the WCCU's founding in 2012, it has rescued more than 50,000 animals and arrested more than 200 people for poaching.
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