23 – The technology revolution: improving species detection and monitoring^311of interest (e.g. population abundance). Power analysis is thus specific to the
question asked (e.g. detecting a change in occupancy under imperfect detection;
Guillera-Arroita and Lahoz-Monfort 2012), so it is necessary to have clear
objectives in mind, which relate to management decisions (e.g. ‘What is the level
of occupancy decline that will trigger management action? Do I have the
statistical power to detect such a change, given the technology used for
monitoring and the effort I can afford to commit?’). Power analysis and other
study design tools often rely on computer simulations (Guillera-Arroita and
Lahoz-Monfort 2012; Chapter 20), which emulate the properties of the data
collection process and the efficiency of the method or technology used for
surveying. Power analysis is an important but underrated tool, and is certainly
better than attempting to do survey design in your head!
We believe that we are near an important tipping point: when we couple
cheaper electronics prototyping and the dawn of a new production model (which
allows producing reduced numbers of units at reasonable costs) with the combined
know-how and contribution of technologists (engineers, computer scientists,
electronic hobbyists, makers) worldwide, we have the ingredients for a true
revolution in ‘conservation technology’. The ultimate frontier is for the
conservation community to move from being consumers of technologies developed
mainly for other purposes (e.g. military, consumer electronics, biomedical) to
becoming developers of devices that suit our specific needs, providing cheaper,
targeted and modular tools. Biotelemetry has been a pioneer, cooperating with the
industry to develop technology and solutions (e.g. a dedicated aerial is scheduled to
be placed in 2017 on the International Space Station to monitor tagged threatened
species, as part of the ICARUS Initiative). There is so much that could be done, by
escalating a new development and production model to other conservation
technologies, and exploring new approaches such as open-source technology. This
change in mindset requires establishing new bridges between disciplines and new
mechanisms for collaboration, funding and production; relevant initiatives are
already in motion and important advances are expected in the coming years.
Technology itself will not save threatened species: it represents a tool in our
hands – certainly one of great potential, but one that we need to learn to use wisely
to achieve our conservation goals. Technological advances will continue to extend
our capacity to study and monitor wildlife and habitats, yet cannot replace our
natural curiosity and our ability to generate hypotheses. The (human) roles of the
field ecologist or conservationist are as intact and necessary as ever.
Lessons learned
● (^) When a new technology is proposed for monitoring, evaluate whether it really
pays off compared with existing methods, in terms of bang-for-buck; that is,