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Loading...Wildlife Poachers Face a New Enemy
According to the International Anti-Poaching Foundation, illegal trafficking of wildlife now ranks as the 3rd largest criminal industry in the world. Every year, millions of animals are slaughtered or kidnapped because of the value placed on their pelt, skin, horns, tusks or meat. This industry driven not just by criminals looking to make a quick buck, but also by complex social, economic and environmental issues.
Poaching is at its worst in developing nations where exotic wildlife is plentiful, but conservation officers and regulations are few. That’s why a new high-tech tool recently unveiled at the World Conservation Congress in Jeju, Republic of Korea, could go a long way in the fight against the illegal wildlife trade.
The Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool, or SMART, is designed to help park and community rangers fight illegal wildlife trade by identifying poaching hotspots, improving rapid response measures and calculating the impact of anti-poaching efforts in order to maximize results. It is an open-source, non-proprietary software system that was provided free to grassroots rangers by a consortium of conservation organizations at the World Conservation Congress. The consortium will also provide training so rangers know how to properly use SMART to scale up their anti-poaching efforts.
“All members of the SOS partnership, along with other donors, decided unanimously to fund this effort for two reasons: first a consortium of the largest conservation organizations are behind it and, second, given that poachers are using increasingly sophisticated techniques, we absolutely need to provide the best possible tools and use the latest technology to those people fighting everyday to preserve wildlife around the world,” said Jean-Christophe Vié, Director of SOS – Save Our Species. “We call on other donors to join us in supporting SMART, and countries and conservation groups to adopt it.”
More than just a tool to help isolated rangers keep tabs on poaching in their own area, SMART will instantly incorporate individual rangers into a global network. By enabling rapid feedback and communication between protected area managers and frontline enforcement staff, and facilitating the sharing of this information with a global network of support, the tool will allow agencies to accurately measure the impact of specific anti-poaching efforts and provide information to government agencies to assess cost-effectiveness of law enforcement efforts.
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Read more: anti-poaching, conservation, GPS, poaching, technology, wildlife trade
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218 comments
+ add your ownGreat news - it will also help protect the rangers who are having a hard time of it, now the poachers are so well organised and have superior weapons. But the main thing is to get the system up and running P.D.Q. ....... Time is of the essence - the wildlife can't wait !!!!!!
Thank you Beth, for Sharing this!
I certainly hope that Smart is the solution to this horrible problem, and the best way to hopefully end pouching is to execute each and every one of those low-life pouchers.
AT LAST governments are responding to the tragic genocide on wildlife! Well done to Botswana and Zambia. South Africa should heed this and take action and especially to end the barbaric hunting of canned wildlife! Truly disgusting and disgraceful! Also take note Trump children, we loathe your type of blood lust individuals!
I am a Black American a naturalized citizen born and raised in the US. I know that my family roots are in Africa. The Rhinoceros, lions and other endangered mammals, and animals are icons and natural inhabitants of Africa they have the right to live. When I do take a trip to Africa I want to see those animals in the flesh. I do not want to see stuffed remains of them in a museum. It is time to stop poachers from killing these innocent animals before they are extinct, never to be seen alive again!
It's about bloody time. These evil people need to know they are on notice.
@ Donna R. & Corinne C.
We have a deal girls. Let's get some guns and rifles, go to Africa and exterminate those lurid poachers! Then, when the job is done, we'll go to a safari and admire beautiful wild animals, much more worthy than humans.
great news
Thanks for sharing!
it is good if not great news however, if poachers use it to earn money and to sustain themselves and perhaps not necessarily ... just coz, perhaps? it might be a better idea to help stop the unnecessary killing by teaching them how to earn money properly or creating beneficial work/jobs in order for them to earn money and to put stricter rules for those enticing poachers to poach b/c its those who insist and bribe poachers to do what they do all round. So if the police or authorities actually know who is insisting on killing animals for their business and other wealthy people then there should be even tougher penalties. It is a viscous circle however like most people who are for animals, are pretty fed up hearing of their deaths, Good on all these people for standing up and making a difference!
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