Wild Tech – Conservation Through Advanced Technology

Science 52' 2024 4K

The sixth extinction of species is in full swing. Scientists around the world are working to protect animals threatened with extinction. Around 150 species become extinct every day. In the race against time, researchers around the globe are now relying more and more on high-tech. This visually stunning documentary is a journey to various scientists, start-ups and conservationists who are working flat out on futuristic technologies. 

Martin Wikelski's idea is an internet of animals. The director at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior researches the movement patterns of animals worldwide. His big data platform Movebank already contains over six billion GPS points. A global prediction system for life on earth is within reach.

In Germany, high-tech is to protect endangered bird species from being killed by wind turbines. At its heart: a camera-based system that uses artificial intelligence to recognize in seconds whether a red kite or eagle is approaching and stops the rotor blades in time. 

In Kenya, AI software will help to determine population numbers faster and more accurately than before using photos. Because in the shadow of Africa's “Big Five”, the numbers of giraffes have declined massively in recent decades.

And off Corsica, marine biologist Alicia Dalongeville sets off in search of a species that was already thought to be extinct: the angel shark. She fishes in the deep for eDNA, also known as environmental DNA. Detective work in the Mediterranean!

Can high-tech become the key to species conservation?

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