In a groundbreaking initiative led by the US-based NGO Resolve, the TrailGuard AI has emerged as a revolutionary camera trap designed to address complex conservation challenges. Originally engineered to combat poaching, this innovative technology has found a new application in managing human-tiger conflict in India, demonstrating its versatility and potential impact on wildlife conservation efforts.
TrailGuard AI employs an advanced vision chip with embedded artificial intelligence, capable of recognizing up to 10 specific species, including tigers, leopards, elephants, and humans. What sets it apart is its ability to transmit real-time data to park rangers via cell phone signal or long-range radio, making it a powerful tool for conservationists. Its selective species recognition feature not only enhances efficiency but also ensures energy conservation, allowing the camera to operate in the field for over two years without the need for frequent battery replacements.
The technology’s efficacy was put to the test in a two-month trial in the Kanha-Pench corridor in Madhya Pradesh, India, known as the country’s “tiger state.” Covering a vast landscape of 3,150 square kilometers, this corridor is home to over 300 tigers, constituting the largest population in central India. However, the presence of approximately 600,000 people in 715 villages within the corridor and 2.7 million people residing within five kilometers pose challenges, leading to human-wildlife conflicts.
One of the predominant forms of conflict involves tigers killing livestock, threatening the livelihoods of villagers and triggering retaliatory actions that adversely impact the already endangered tiger population. TrailGuard AI’s unique feature of instant data transmission plays a pivotal role in protecting these communities. When the camera captures an image of a target species, it promptly sends the data, including location, time of detection, and the species identified, to forest rangers through email and instant messaging apps.
Piyush Yadav, a conservation technology fellow at Resolve, emphasizes the significance of this early alert system, stating, “We are able to create this early alert system with that real-time data, (so that) the villagers are aware that there is a tiger 300 meters away from their location.” This timely information enables communities to react proactively, ensuring the safety of both human populations and wildlife.
In the event of a tiger being spotted near a village, forest rangers can share this crucial information with the community via platforms such as Whatsapp or Telegram, providing residents with the opportunity to safeguard themselves and their livestock. Additionally, the captured images serve as valuable evidence for villagers seeking compensation from authorities in the aftermath of unavoidable livestock attacks, expediting the claims process.
Former director of Kanha Tiger Reserve, Himmat Singh Negi, highlights the positive impact of TrailGuard AI, stating, “Those who are directly working on the ground, they were really thrilled actually, and they could really save some of these situations where otherwise, something untoward might have taken place.” The technology promotes coexistence between communities and apex predators, fostering tolerance and understanding.
The need for technology to mitigate human-wildlife conflict is pressing, with global human populations around tiger conservation areas increasing by 19.5 million people between 2000 and 2020. In India, where 35% of the tiger population resides outside designated reserves, TrailGuard AI emerges as a crucial tool for effective conflict management.
The results of the trials conducted in the Kanha-Pench and Dudhwa reserves, published in the peer-reviewed journal BioScience, underscore the camera’s impressive 98.8% accuracy. Moreover, it marked a historic milestone as the first instance of an automatic, AI-enabled camera transmitting images of a wild tiger. Despite the conclusion of the trials, forest staff continue to utilize the cameras, receiving daily notifications.
Resolve has further enhanced the technology by upgrading the vision chip, promising increased accuracy and faster processing. The new and improved cameras are scheduled for deployment in the Kanha-Pench and Dudhwa reserves, as well as in West Bengal state, where they will undergo a new trial to manage human-elephant conflict.
As part of a strategic move towards commercialization, the technology is being scaled through a spinout company, Nightjar. Nightjar aims to produce the first batch of 500 units by March 2024, with pre-orders already secured from wildlife habitat management companies. TrailGuard AI holds immense promise not only for protecting human and wildlife populations but also for fostering a harmonious coexistence that allows both species to thrive in their natural habitat.
