In this episode, Eleanor Slade & VV Robin discuss how technologies like AI have the potential to support conservation practices, yet challenges (data availability & financing) remain to realise some of these aspirations. On one hand, technology has facilitated public interest in nature. Using digital tools & apps, people can access info about diverse species & improve their understanding of their environments. On the other, the potential benefits of technology must not distract resources away from basic foundational research. AI can help in monitoring & processing large amounts of data, but investments are needed to ensure the next generation's familiarity with basic sciences & knowledge. With years of data collection, we're also at the point where we need to approach biodiversity data more thoughtfully-how much data do we really need? Would smaller datasets captured over shorter durations lead to the same kind of results? How do we minimise resource wastage? Eleanor & Robin discuss some of these key issues, situated in their unique practice areas in Singapore, Malaysia & India. You can read the transcript for this episode here. Speakers Eleanor Slade Eleanor is an Associate Professor at the Tropical Ecology & Entomology Lab at the Asian School of the Environment at Nanyan Technological University. Her research focuses on the challenges & opportunities associated with conservation, management, & restoration of tropical forests & human-modified landscapes. She's worked in the rainforests & oil palm plantations of Singapore, Malaysia, Sumatra, Philippines, Belize, & Brazil, & the woodlands & agricultural systems of Finland & the UK. She's currently also working on the AMBER project that's testing the use of automated camera & audio systems, combined with AI to deliver more standardised monitoring of insects, bats & birds; aiming to deploy a network of 40 biodiversity monitoring units over the next 2 years. Social Media: @eleslade.bsky.social / @teelab.bsky.social VV Robin Robin is an Associate Professor at the Indian Institute of Science, Education, & Research (IISER) Tirupati. His work focuses on patterns & processes in ecology, behavioural ecology, biogeography & evolutionary ecology. He's interested in conservation initiatives involving multiple stakeholders & in collaborative research initiatives. He & his team use tools like bioacoustics, phylogenetics & population genetics, along with Remote Sensing & GIS to understand the relationship of birds with their habitats. Five years ago, he initiated a project to understand why birds found in some Western Ghats habitats didn't appear in others. It took him two years to analyse avian sound recordings collected over a year. He is of the opinion that AI could've helped him analyse this data in a year. His geography of work is the Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats & peninsular areas of India. Show Notes Warning of 'ecological Armageddon' after dramatic plunge in insect numbers Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in the UK The Alan Turing Institute AMBER: Unveiling AMBER: A Glimpse into Biodiversity Monitoring in Singapore using AI, Spotlight on moths in S’pore to assess impact of climate change, habitat loss on biodiversity, Scientists turn to AI and moths to assess health of ecosystems Sholicola Jerdon's Courser BirdNet Merlin eBird IPBES: Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Report Southeast Asian Rainforest Research Project (SEARP) Riparian Buffer Zones Alternative Futures: AI & Climate in the Indian context iNaturalist Global Biodiversity Information Facility This podcast series is accompanied by a monthly newsletter - sign up for updates here. For more, visit our website codegreen.asia Credits Audio Editing: Creator Studio Goa Production Support: Shivranjana Rathore & Meredith Stinger Cover Design: Nayantara Surendranath Attributions Intro & Outro: Retro Sounds, Alban_Gogh Transitions: Meditative Background Music, white_records
