Center No: IN462

Candidate No: 7791

Candidate Name: Kothari Aryan Anuraag
Word Count: 2041

Can The Technology of Artificial Intelligence Help in Conserving Biodiversity?

Introduction:
AI is slowly but surely taking over the world. To put it into perspective AI is going to
contribute to the global economy more than India and China put together,
contributing $15.7 trillion to the global economy by 2030. (Maheshwari, 2023) Many
believe an over-reliance is being formed on the AI system causing mistrust and
doubts of risk. (Stanford, 2021) Recently, while researching for a competition I found
AI to be misused for information. Although AI is being used unethically, this provoked
me to delve into the wide-spread reach of AI and ML to discover its advantages that
are less spoken about and brought up. I came across a few articles that stated the
capabilities of this new-age software to detect changes and capture moments that
are difficult to catch otherwise. This could either come into use in zoos and
sanctuaries or prove to be troublesome as hunters and poachers could exploit these
features to hunt efficiently. To give an example, the lion-tailed Macaque which
originates from the Western Ghats of India is said to be endangered seeing that
most of the forest area surrounding it has been destroyed. (Warrier, Mongabay
2020) Although these benefits are present, we are unaware of the risks of such
actions and this would be a completely new field for humans to explore. This report
analyses the benefits as well as challenges and provides plausible steps that can be
taken to conserve biodiversity.

Benefits of Using AI in Conserving Biodiversity:

AI can help with conserving biodiversity and maintaining a wide range of species. To
do so, AI can use neural network commands to foresee which animals will interact.
This way they can stop unwanted interactions that can disturb the food web. In
addition, machine learning software’s can analyze plant reproduction cycles and
large-scale declines in plant biodiversity. (SDG Knowledge Hub, 2023) In 2021
UNEP announced a new GBF (Global Biodiversity Framework) which aims to reduce
pesticide use, reduce invasive species and 30% of global sea and land areas must
be conserved as protected areas. (Convention on Biological Diversity, No Date) A
recent system known as “Biologging '' measures; speed, movement, heart rate, body
temperature and behavioral data. In the case of an emergency wherein an animal is
moving slowly or has a low heart rate, the officials can pinpoint the exact location
and rescue the animal before the issue escalates. Biologging will greatly benefit in
the case of a widespread disease and separate any carriers from the wild. (AI for
Biodiversity and Ecosystems, 2023) Ornithologists predict that migratory birds have
a 50% chance of living through the year and most casualties occur during stressful
migrations. (Colby College, 2020) Authors, Dan Sheldon and Subhransu Maji have
invented “MistNet '' a system based on neural networks for images and architectural
components that are fitted to the task of collecting radar data. MistNet provides an
illustrated image of migratory traffic, this information can prove to be vital in the
future as conservationists can focus their rescue missions to these confined areas.
Not only will this help prevent the loss of bird species but also open the door to a
range of science and conservation applications. (National Science Foundation, 2019)

Limitations of Using AI in Conserving Biodiversity:

Research shows that most wildlife is found in the southern region which is separated
into different countries, using local data from these communities could result in
disputes within each other. In certain cases, it may lead to animal protests that urge
the government to ban the use of machine learning and AI programs to conserve
species. (Miailhe, Tiedrich & Chatila, 2022) A research report published by Simon
Coghlan and Christine Parker shows that AI is not adequately trained on the “moral”
ethics side of animal management and shared human harm. (Coghlan & Parker,
2023) In 2021, the US government “accidentally” killed more than 3000 animals; this
number could rapidly increase if AI recommendations on strategic livestock farming
and conservation events are considered. Moreover, conventional AI ethics have
been known to favor human well-being and benefits, being oblivious to the possible
harm caused to animals. The UN SDGs explicitly send forth their anthropocentrically
focused stance on animals considering them to be ‘human resources’ which could be
misunderstood by AI programs. (Maron, 2022) A recent study shows how AI is
progressing in the field of conversing with animals, a realm that is yet to be explored
and could pose undesirable threats without prior research. (Bushwick, 2023) Eliezer
Yudkowsky, a researcher in the field of AI has commented saying “AI labs to
immediately pause for at least 6 months the training of AI systems that are more
powerful than GPT-4.” His ideology revolves around the idea of ‘exploring what you
know’ and prevents any possible dangers and threats that can be caused from such
powerful AI software’s capable of even communicating with animals. (Pause giant AI
experiments: An open letter, 2023)

National Perspective:
Scientists from the Royal Botanic Garden have proposed a detailed framework
known as “CAPTAIN'', which stands for Conservation Area Prioritisation Through
Artificial Intelligence. This new framework emphasizes and explores various
biodiversity metrics that will help the progression of biodiversity. In today’s day and
age, governments are responsible for their nation and mandates, for example, the
Brazilian Business Commitment on Biodiversity (Brazil), act4nature (Portugal),
German Business for Biodiversity (Germany) (Stanly, 2023) have been implemented
alongside 13.9 trillion euros in funds raised by 19 countries for such efforts. (Miailhe,
Tiedrich & Chatila, 2022) On a national scale, countries like India have seen
immense progression over the last 9 years wherein their tiger population has
increased by 42%. (Government of India, 2023) Not only is this a great feat
nationally but also makes a huge impact on the global level as India contributes to
8% of known global biodiversity. (Kamaljit S. Bawa, 2021) The revival of animals
such as; tigers, cheetahs and other endangered animals- returning them to their
home is an effort that would not be possible without the likes of Ankita Shukla who
used computer vision and machine learning to gain an accurate count of tigers and
classify them. (Mehra, 2021) In conclusion, national efforts being taken forward to
conserve biodiversity include bits and pieces of AI that speed up the process, give
accurate statistical data and help classify animals and species with the click of a
button. As a proverb rightly mentions, "Necessity is blind until it becomes conscious'.
AI is the necessity we needed and received.

Global Perspective:
Karyna Naminas, a CEO at an AI company published an article stating that AI-based
algorithms could make drones that can identify and remove waste from ecosystems
such as the ocean. Software’s such as Marlit work at an astounding 80% accuracy,
such steps are key to save marine animals as about 100 million sea animals die
annually from plastic waste! Researchers at Vulcan and SR3 came together to
create a ML tool known as AMPT (Aquatic Mammal Photogrammetry Tool) to help
conserve the endangered Southern Resident killer whale population. (Naminas,
2021) International organizations such as the IUCN have stated that future goals
include the recognition of animals through sound alone. Kafue National Park located
in Zambia have put together a 19 km long line consisting of infra-red cameras and
powered by new-age technology that can spot poachers and alert staff and local
rangers. (IUCN, 2023) The stage for the application of AI and ML has been set, and
the world is likely to follow in these footsteps. Arijit Sengupta, an AI expert who has
received his training from Harvard and Stanford has published a book called, “AI is a
waste of money” and elaborates upon how most AI are accurately wrong and
exhibits that governments are compromising on money that could be used for the
reduction of important issues such as poverty. (Aible, n.d.)

Local Perspective:
A local AI conservation project in Maharashtra has greatly helped conflict between
tigers and humans. Fine scale data has been collected by the Wildlife Conservation
Trust (WTC) about conflict-related data, tiger movements and developing solutions
to reduce crop degradation by herbivores. The foundation of AI projects has been
laid in small rural areas and large amounts of experimentation has been conducted.
(Variyar, 2021)

Course of Action:
The United Nations Environment Programme held a Convention on Biological
Diversity in Montreal (Canada) to deliberate upon the Global Biodiversity Framework
to introduce an open-ended working group that promotes collaboration amongst
countries and helps solve colliding ideas. This includes 4 goals and 23 targets to be
reached by 2030, including but not limited to; human induced extinction, limiting
decrease in genetic variation, technical and scientific cooperation to ensure the
Kunming-Montreal framework is secured and is reasonable to any and all parties
with special consideration for LEDC’s. (UNEP, 2022) In the year 2019, Indonesia
recorded 259 species that were classified as critically endangered. (Indonesia:
Interactive Country Fiches, No Date) In accordance to the previously mentioned
statement, the Indonesian National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) through
several conservation efforts have quoted “AI-based machine learning is superior to
traditional modeling” and have implemented the same by collecting data from
smallholder oil plantations and processed it through machine learning to produce a
model that is analyzed. Later, drones are used to validate the data which is the final
stage. (BRIN, 2023) PAWS (Protection Assistant for Wildlife Security) has been
tested and used in Cambodia at Srepok wildlife sanctuaries with promising results.
This new technology has helped spot 42 rogue chainsaws, 24 motorbikes and 1
truck. (Ballon, 2019) The case of animals dying due to wrong directions given by AI
largely outnumbered by the numbers saved and is more efficient at conserving
ecosystems.

Evaluation of Sources:

The information in the report has been collated from a variety of sources with
different reliability. Most of the sources that have been used are fairly recent from
2022 and 2023. Some sources that want to ban AI research and those that believe
AI is the best method such as the Indonesian National Research and Innovation
Agency could provide biased data. A lot of the sources are government websites or
international research groups that enhance the reliability, namely; The Association of
American Universities, University of Stanford, Colby Education and the Indian
Government. In addition, majority of the data and statistics come from sources with
first-hand information and evidence that has been well-researched and backed up by
professionals. To add to the variety of sources, evidence has been taken from an
online webinar conducted by a specialist in the AI field along with the use of articles,
documents and websites from several non-biased sources such as National Science
Foundation, National Geographic, Science Direct and International Union for
Conservation of Nature.

Personal Perspective:
I have successfully achieved the objective of this paper since I scrutinized both
global and national perspectives as indicated by analysis on the statistics, courses of
action of Indonesia, India, United States of America, Cambodia and Zambia. Prior to
research and careful examination of both sides I was in favor of using Artificial
Intelligence and Machine Learning to conserve biodiversity, recognizing the need of
the hour. My research showed the potential and current implementations of Artificial
Intelligence to stop living things from being hunted to extinction from hunters and the
identification of sick animals which can be treated. However, after reading about
several cases of wrong decisions made by AI software’s which have led to mass
killings of some animals has swayed my opinion of using AI for conserving a vital life
form- animals. Upon further research, I examined the number of such cases and
realized that the chances of such a thing happening are one in a million.

Conclusion:
Governments, wildlife sanctuaries, zoos and animal shelters should revise their
current systems to integrate AI in some way. Not only does this restrict large
amounts of damage to the ecosystem but also allows machine learning and artificial
intelligence to progress to greater efficiency. A smaller system will prove to be
economically viable for places which may not be able to use fully loaded AI systems
requiring high running costs. If governments decide to execute such plans, results
will start showing and we will only see exponential growth as time advances.