Geospatial Applications in Wildlife Conservation and Management

Abstract

AbstractWildlife, which is one of the integral parts of our ecosystem, nowadays facing a severe threat from anthropogenic actions, like forest obliteration, wildlife poaching and trade, introduction of invasive species, pest and diseases, etc. Moreover, the anthropogenic influence on the Earth’s environment and climate is altering the nature of wildlife habitats and which in turn is accelerating the process of wildlife extinction in a faster way. Advancement in geospatial technology gives conservationists the benefit to improved understanding of the wildlife, their habitats, and the danger that they are facing, in a scientific way to simplify the process of planning, implementing, and tracking wildlife for conservation and management activities. This chapter provides an appraisal of various geospatial technologies in wildlife conservation and management that can be utilized effectively. One of the major applications of geospatial technology in wildlife management is habitat assessment. Wildlife habitat can be assessed for risk assessment, suitability assessment, habitat utilization pattern, and habitat restoration program or protecting threatened habitats. Bio-logging or bio-telemetry, one of the geospatial technologies, provides meaningful information about the movement ecology of individual species which can be used to understand the behavioral pattern of wildlife in relation to its environment. Another use of geospatial technology is the assessment of home ranges, territories, corridors, and connectivity metrics with the aid of bio-telemetry/camera traps/pug marks/visual observations. Assessment of human–wildlife conflicts for conflicts mitigation efforts is yet another application that offers a wide variety of solutions to the managers to mitigate conflicts. Nowadays geospatial technology is being used for wildlife census, wildlife crime investigation, and Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of protected areas. This chapter briefly explains the methodologies and utilities of various applications mentioned above with some examples to demonstrate the utility of geospatial technology for wildlife conservation and management.KeywordsWildlifeGeospatial technologyMovement ecologyHome rangeTerritory analysisCorridorsHabitat suitability assessmentHabitat risk assessmentHabitat utilization patternWildlife censusHuman–wildlife conflicts