PESHAWAR Installation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) based camera traps in a targeted area of Gilgit Baltistan (GB) helped in the mitigation of conflict between wildlife and local communities by reducing livestock depredation by snow leopards to zero within a year.
‘After installation of AI-based Predator Early Warning System (PEWS) in 2022 at Khyber village of Hunza Gojal Valley, dwelled by small agro nomadic pastoral population, not a single incident of attack by snow leopard on livestock has been reported,’ informed Muhammad Waseem, Regional Head of World Wide Fund (WWF-Pakistan).
The initiative has been taken by WWF-Pakistan along with the National Center of Robotics and Automation (NCRA) at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) with a mission to mitigate the escalating human-wildlife conflict in the area and to ensure the survival of snow leopards, Waseem told reporter.
Before the installation of these cameras every year on average two to three livestock depredation incidents happened in t
he village and in one attack around 60 to 70 sheep and goats were mauled by the beast, inflicting very huge financial damage on owners.
However, since its inception, a year has passed peacefully as not a single livestock attack incident has been reported in the village most vulnerable to attack by wildlife including snow leopards, wolves, Himalayan Lynx, and fox, Waseem shares.
Waseem said livestock depredation, often at the hands of the snow leopard, is the primary reason behind human-wildlife conflict.
Snow leopards contribute a greater percentage in livestock killing cases in the valley in comparison to other wildlife species and the growing specter of human-wildlife conflict poses an escalating danger to both the conservation efforts of the snow leopard and local community development.
To the locals, the loss of livestock represents not only an economic blow but also a disruption to their way of life, Waseem observed.
When communities experience losses due to livestock depredation, they tend to look
at wildlife as an enemy which can undermine support for conservation initiatives and hinder efforts to protect endangered species.
In an attempt to protect their livestock, they resort to either killing or trapping predators such as snow leopards, he continued.
About the functioning of modern technology, WWF Official informed that the solar-powered camera traps are strategically placed in areas vulnerable to wildlife depredation where they capture images of the wildlife.
These traps are connected through the local 4G mobile network. Besides capturing images, and more importantly, they transmit real-time data to a central monitoring system, equipped with a rather sophisticated AI algorithm, he explains.
The true innovation lies in this algorithm which analyzes the images and alerts field teams to potential depredation events.
When a snow leopard or any other predator comes close to the human settlements, the AI-based system sends out automatic alerts. As a result, information sharing has become much easie
r, and the villagers are able to secure their livestock before the leopard can attack.
The most remarkable outcome of the scientific approach is a shift in the community’s perception as farmers after observing the impact of this intervention, have begun to embrace non-lethal deterrent methods, such as improved fencing and scare tactics.
The Predator Early Warning System has not only protected their livestock but has also kindled a newfound appreciation for wildlife’s role in the ecosystem.
Following the resounding success in mitigating human-wildlife conflicts, WWF-Pakistan is contemplating extending this model project to other regions of Gilgit Baltistan and the area serving as the habitat of critically endangered snow leopards.