Abstract
Wildlife crime is an international issue with the illicit trade of flora and fauna estimated to be worth several billion dollars. In national parks, the problem can often be summarised as an arms race, with poachers trying to remain undetected by park rangers and other security personnel that are trying to protect the natural habitat and species from exploitation. Within this context, the detection of wire snares is a critical step. Not only can it reduce the number of animals caught by poachers but it can also help rangers develop better situation awareness and, in turn, improve patrolling strategies. To address the practical challenge of wire-snare detection across wide areas, this article examines the capacity of ground penetrating radar (GPR). Using two snares of small and medium sizes, the experiment confirmed the promising role of this technology, even if poachers attempt to conceal the snares underneath small tree branches and roots.
Highlights
Snare poaching Estimated to be worth US$7–23 billion, the illicit trade of flora and fauna is of growing international concern (Nellemann et al 2014)
The raw data recorded from the radar is in the form of amplitude and phase reflected from the target
In this experiment the data was captured in two types of scans: A-scan where a single radar signal is recorded from the antenna at a given fixed position above the ground; and B-scan, where a set of A-scan traces recorded by moving the radar system on a linear trajectory are integrated together to construct a two-dimensional image
Summary
Snare poaching Estimated to be worth US$7–23 billion, the illicit trade of flora and fauna (trade of live and dead specimens and their products) is of growing international concern (Nellemann et al 2014). The trade and its associated activities affect biodiversity (e.g. animal population decline and possible extinctions) and health (e.g. disease spreading, improper preparation of meat), security (e.g. terrorism financing through illicit trade in species) and the economy (e.g., costs associated to the damage and removal of natural capital) (Karesh et al 2005; Pietschmann and Walker 2011; Warchol 2004) To supply this illegal market, a variety of methods are employed that include poaching, i.e., ‘the illegal taking of wildlife and wildlife resources’ (Eliason 2003; Von Essen et al 2014). Analysis of ranger monitoring systems within the Greater Virunga Landscape (Africa), for example, has shown that the majority of patrol activity occurs within 3 km of ranger patrol posts, with only 23% of the park receiving sufficient patrolling for it to be an effective deterrent
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