The Guardians of the Wild: How Animal Tracking Promotes Conservation
The Sub-Saharan region is amusingly diverse and captivating in terms of its floral and faunal composition the inhabitants of which struggle to stay safe in chaotic human (obviously, not humane) activity. Nevertheless, there could be found an enormous amount of environmental enthusiasts who aim to preserve nature, save endangered species, and prevent it from malevolent influence caused by today’s vanity and greed.
Although it might seem a bit complicated to manage the whole area of the Sub-Saharan countries and creatures these serve as home to, the representatives of the animal rights movement successfully leverage the power of tools originally supposed to track phone number free of limits with the aim to monitor fauna 24/7. How could it be done then?
The Problem of Animal Conservation in the Sub-Saharan Region
Our planet is indeed spectacular and gorgeous, yet barely do people realize that anything might have an end. One of the most biologically varying regions, Sub-Saharan Africa is home to many of the most recognizable animals, which include lions, rhinos, elephants, and many others. In spite of its abundant diversity, the area has serious problems regarding protecting animals, which is devastating for sure.
In fact, these problems are caused by a number of activities, such as poaching, habitat degradation, conflicts between people and wildlife, and climate change. Let us briefly cover some of the major roots of why nature may suffer from what we, humans, do.
Loss of Habitat
As a result of the fast development of infrastructure, urbanization, and agricultural activity, the Sub-Saharan region has experienced severe habitat degradation. Nowadays, wildlife has fewer places to live thanks to the clearing of wetlands, savannas, and forests to make room for highways, farms, and settlements.
The space that is accessible for animals to live and breed is significantly reduced due to habitat fragmentation, which also separates populations and makes it harder for them to obtain food, mates, and move when needed. A heartbreaking fact for empaths and the rest to acknowledge.
Human-Wildlife Conflict
Human populations are quickly expanding their influence onto formerly untamed areas, which inevitably leads to an increase in the rate of contact between humans and wildlife. What is terrifying is the fact that large predators like lions and leopards may feed on livestock in many areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, prompting farmers to kill the animals in revenge.
Similar to this, elephants frequently raid farms in their quest for food, which causes large financial losses for the towns they inhabit. And it is human’s responsibility to find a balance in this abusive type of relationship.
Poaching and Illegal Wildlife Trade
In the region of Sub-Saharan Africa, poaching continues to pose a serious threat to numerous species that are hunted for bushmeat or traditional medicine (e.g., rhinos that are "longed-for" by hunters for their horns and even meat). Worldwide demand drives the illegal wildlife trade, and poaching keeps causing disaster for animal populations in spite of efforts to stop it.
Climate Change
These days, more and more people in the Sub-Saharan region have an eerie opportunity to experience the effects of climate change, which makes conservation efforts already difficult. Numerous ecosystems and food sources are changing as a result of extended droughts, temperature increases, and alterations in rainfall patterns. As a result, animals have to travel farther in search of new places and water due to the scarcity of available sources.
Limited Resources for Conservation
Even though conservation efforts are critically needed, many Sub-Saharan African countries struggle financially and logistically to carry out successful conservation initiatives. In general, effective animal population monitoring and protection is hampered by a lack of resources, poor infrastructure, an absence of skilled workers, political instability, and governance problems in certain locations.
How Animal Tracking Could Mitigate This Issue
Generally speaking, animal tracking seems like a decent alternative to other surveillance systems that cannot monitor each species and their populations in real time. Conservation groups, that dedicate their time to saving the planet, can obtain crucial insights into the behavior, movements, and requirements of animals with the use of modern tools like GPS collars, satellite imagery, chips, and drone detection.
What could animal tracking tools do? First of all, researchers can locate vital habitats, migratory routes, and breeding grounds by following animals only. Besides, with the use of such devices, ecologists are able to predict when and where large species will probably interact with agricultural areas or human settlements. In fact, it is possible to set up early warning systems that are to allow local populations to take preventative action, such as protecting cattle or building barriers to shield crops.
Real-time tracking of endangered species, such as rhinos and elephants, can be done by activists who widely employ GPS collars and satellite tracking. Hence, anti-poaching units can use this information to send out rapid response teams to the most animal-risked locations. A great idea to ward off those wrongdoers who do not care about the environment.
All in all, animal tracking provides vital information to assist species in adapting to the altered terrain and ecosystems of the Sub-Saharan region. This is one of the most accurate and reliable ways to see how species may adjust to changing temperatures.
Relevant Tools for Ecologists to Employ
For efficient conservation efforts, the industry has accommodated various classic and non-classic tools in order to constantly see what is going on in the faunal world. Here is a list of some devices to incorporate so as to conserve the planet:
GPS Collars and Satellite Tracking
The most widely spread tools to use are indeed GPS collars with enabled satellite tracking. These instruments transfer info right to the apps and give those concerned up-to-date data on animal movements, which allows them to monitor species, pinpoint important habitats, and comprehend migratory patterns as well.
Drones
Another device to mention is a drone. Outfitted with cameras and sensors, drones provide aerial surveys of vast, unreachable regions so as to identify species, observe habitats, and track poaching activities.
Acoustic Monitoring
Through the use of audio recorders, ecologists may observe the presence of a species, listen to their vocalizations, and evaluate their biodiversity, especially when it comes to nocturnal or difficult-to-see animals.
Environmental DNA (eDNA) Sampling
Last but not least, environmental activists may determine the existence of a species in a region without having to see the animals in person by examining the DNA from environmental samples like soil or water.
When combined, these resources provide a thorough strategy for protecting animals. It is devastating that people do not really care about what is happening in the Sub-Saharan region but still love to visit it during holidays. Let us protect nature, not exploit it in the end.