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Using drones for non-invasive monitoring and assessment of crocodilian populations – a generalizable and accessible tool for stakeholders in conservation
This standartised solution combines drone technology and an innovative allometric approach to monitor and assess crocodilian populations who face significant threats, leading to population declines with 50% the 27 crocodilian species are threatened, with 25% critically endangered. Drones equipped with high-resolution cameras capture images of even partially submerged crocodiles, allowing precise, non-invasive length estimates based on head-to-body allometric ratios. This method overcomes challenges like logistical constraints, cost, need for highly trained personnel, observer bias, detectability, wildlife disturbance, and safety risks of traditional surveys. By covering remote areas efficiently, the solution enhances biodiversity mo,nitoring, informs conservation strategies, and enables a wide range of additional information to be collected. This solution is very cheap, requiring minimal training, and accessible to a wide range of users, including indigenous peoples and local communities and conservation practitioners.
Computer vision for vulture species monitoring across Africa
This AI-powered solution supports Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) Targets 17 and 20 by leveraging biotechnology to strengthen species monitoring and fostering technology transfer for biodiversity conservation. Using a deep learning model, “You Only Look Once version 11” (YOLOv11), it automates the identification and analysis of critically endangered vultures (Gyps africanus, Gyps coprotheres, Gyps rueppelli, Torgos tracheliotos) in drone and camera trap data. Data from African Parks Network (APN), Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC), Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), platforms like iNaturalist, and GBIF will serve to train and validate the model.
The project tackles challenges like labor-intensive monitoring and data gaps. Its open-source design promotes accessibility, collaboration, and capacity-building across African conservation networks, directly addressing gaps in biodiversity data and monitoring systems.
ScannerEdge – Version 2
Mobile phones play a central role in poaching operations, for communication between poaching teams and extraction of illegal goods like rhino horns/elephant tusks.
ScannerEdge detects signals from mobile phones, satellite phones, and other RF communication devices, providing conservation authorities with real-time data to identify potential threats. This makes it an ideal tool for uncovering illegal human activity in remote areas.
ScannerEdge is the world’s first field-deployable radio frequency scanner with LoRaWAN/satellite and Bluetooth connectivity. ScannerEdge
Within five years, this technology could be rolled out globally in more than 50 African and Asian national parks. ScannerEdge is actively contributing to protecting endangered animals, thus to the long-term health of our global ecosystem
‘Fewer of our eco-guards will die, and more poachers will be caught, if we can deploy this technology’ – Lee White, Gabonese minister of Nature”
Scanneredge is proudly the winner of several LOVIE AWARDS and Wubbo Ockels Price 2024
Guide sur l’évaluation des impacts cumulatifs sur la biodiversité des projets éoliens et solaires et des infrastructures associées
Un objectif clé de ce guide est de recadrer l’EIC pour aider à soutenir la conservation de la nature et la réalisation des objectifs mondiaux en matière de biodiversité (aux côtés des objectifs climatiques et autres objectifs de développement sociétaux). Ce guide est centré sur la biodiversité et le développement éolien et solaire, et s’adresse principalement aux planificateurs gouvernementaux et aux promoteurs de projets. Cependant, étant donné qu’il est conçu pour aider à relever certains des défis existants de l’EIC, sa portée est potentiellement plus vaste.
The Nature Conservancy & National Geographic Society Externship Program
Together, the partners developed a program centered around a rigorous externship open to young adults ages 18-25 to equip them with the knowledge, tools, and relationships to seek solutions and take action in their communities around the globe. The program intentionally creates more opportunities for young people from all communities to prepare for careers in conservation and exploration. At the end of this eight-week experience, externs create an ArcGIS StoryMap presentation based on the local conservation issue they investigated. As the externship concludes, participants can apply for seed funding to begin enacting the solutions they identified in their communities. The program has addressed the challenge of inadequate leadership opportunities for global youth, by providing young adults from ages 18-25 with the opportunity to tackle global conservation issues, while gaining conservation skills.
Agroecology Leadership Academy
Nearly 12 million hectares of fertile soil are lost globally every year, leading to serious consequences for the world’s food supply and climate, particularly in the arid regions of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The inhabitants of these areas, who rely on the land for their sustenance, are the most affected. Over the course of one year, the Agroecology Leadership Academy has collaborated with 38 leaders from seven countries and different agriculture-related sectors to promote agroecological practices aimed at conserving and rehabilitating soil in climate-smart, environmentally friendly ways. The initiative has strengthened individuals, organisations, and networks by enhancing their leadership skills and technical knowledge in agroecology. Participants from Benin, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Madagascar, and Tunisia engaged in various projects, tested innovative approaches, formed alliances, and contributed to shaping transformative processes and narratives for change.
SME Training and Coaching Loop to support small and medium enterprises
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are considered an engine for economic and social development. However, framework conditions for their development are often unfavorable and support is not tailored to the context and situation of the individual enterprise.
The SME Loop responds to this need. It is a combined training and coaching approach and aims to enhance competitiveness, income, and the demand for labor. The SME Loop consists of seven phases and is implemented over a six-to-nine-month time span. After their selection, entrepreneurs follow two alternating classroom business trainings and several individual coaching sessions on business analysis, strategy formulation and business linkages among others. The SME Loop was recently adapted to the specific need of women led enterprises, start-ups and social enterprises.
More information and training material is available on the website of the International SME Loop Association e.V. (sme-loop.com).
SME Training and Coaching Loop
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are considered an engine for economic and social development. However, framework conditions for their development are often unfavorable and support is not tailored to the context and situation of the individual enterprise. Responding to this need, the SME Loop approach was developed, refined and scaled up by different projects implemented by GIZ and financed by BMZ. The SME Loop is a combined training and coaching approach. It aims at increasing competitiveness, generating income and boosting the demand for labour. The SME Loop is implemented over a six to nine month time span. It consists of seven phases of alternating individual coaching sessions and class-room business training. Service providers, financial institutions, political partners and other relevant actors have been associated during different stages of implementation to insure the sustainability of the achieved impacts.
Réduction des menaces pesant sur les espèces et restauration en République centrafricaine
This report presents findings from an assessment of the biodiversity conservation potential of four project sites: Lobaye, Mambéré-Kadéï, Ombella-Mpoko, and Sangha-Mbaéré located in the Bangui region of the Central African Republic (CAR). This assessment was done using the Species Threat Abatement and Recovery (STAR) metric, which employs high-resolution imagery and an approach to modelling species’ Area of Habitat (AOH) that was revised after June 2020 among other enhancements. This work was undertaken to better inform threat abatement and restoration planning and implementation at the partner project sites, and as part of a wider effort to pilot and strengthen the use of STAR as a tool for restoration and conservation practitioners, communities, investors, and policymakers.