Huawei, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and local partner Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) have a Tech4Nature-Coral reef and biodiversity monitoring and protection project launched in Kenya’s Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park and Reserve.
The three-year project is in line with the Huawei’s TECH4ALL initiative and the IUCN Green List and aims to strengthen the effectiveness of monitoring and management of the protected area. Located on the southern coast of Kenya, Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park and Reserve faces a number of conservation challenges. These include:
- Illegal fishing and insufficient human resources to effectively monitor the area.
- A lack of remote monitoring of the reserve’s three coral islands combined with pressures caused by tourism as the fringing reefs are popular diving spots.
- Limited community awareness of the importance of protecting reefs and biodiversity.
- Inadequate communications network infrastructure to support technology-based surveillance.
„Tech4Nature is a large-scale project that falls under Huawei’s digital inclusion initiative TECH4ALL. Within this framework, we look for ways to apply technology and innovation in different areas of our everyday lives today, improve global standards and ensure that we have a sustainable way of life worldwide,” said Khadija Mohamed, Head of Media and Government Relations at Huawei Kenya .
Underwater cameras, photogrammetry and audio monitoring technologies are used to monitor marine life, including parrotfish biomass and population. In many coral reef ecosystems, parrotfish are a keystone species whose diet helps prevent corals from being smothered by seaweed and algae. The solution will also monitor substrate cover in reef ecosystems, seagrass cover and the presence of green sea turtles and bottlenose dolphins, which are classified as vulnerable and threatened on the IUCN Red List, respectively.
“The technology we are introducing is a game-changer for marine conservation in Kenya. It will serve as the first monitoring tool for data collection, analysis and management in a marine protected area. In addition, this innovation provides the opportunity to support the park in achieving IUCN Green List certification, which is in line with the sustainability goals valued by tourists and ensures that future generations can continue to benefit from our marine parks,” said Innocent Kabenga, Country Representative of the IUCN country office in Kenya.
AI trained to recognize specific target species based on their appearance or sounds will provide real-time data-driven insights into the behavior, populations and distribution of biodiversity in the protected area and reef ecosystem. The system will also be able to identify boats used for illegal fishing and send alerts to rangers so they can intervene in near real time.
A digital power solution and improved network connectivity covering the park and watchtower enable the collected data to be quickly transferred to a cloud server for analysis by AI.
The project is being carried out in collaboration with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI). Based on the project’s data-driven insights, Tech4Nature partners will be able to develop targeted conservation measures for the reserve.
“In order to fulfill our mission of protecting and conserving our wildlife in terrestrial and marine ecosystems, you have to know your resources very well. We work with Huawei and the IUCN to deploy underwater cameras and collect data on marine mammals, corals and fisheries to make informed decisions. The advantage of this technology is that it can be used in a larger area that we cannot patrol every day. “This gives us day and night data to help us make good, informed decisions,” said Adan Kala, senior deputy director of the Kenya Wildlife Service Coastal Conservation Area.
In addition, the project will also include community outreach to raise awareness of changes in biodiversity over time and the presence of various species, including those that are threatened, endangered or at risk of extinction.
The area will be assessed against the IUCN Green List Standard with the aim of the reserve achieving Green List certification.
Information about Tech4Nature
Huawei and the IUCN launched the Tech4Nature global partnership in 2020 to increase conservation success through technological innovation. In line with Huawei’s TECH4ALL initiative and the IUCN Green List, Tech4Nature has supported 11 flagship projects in eight countries with tailored solutions to conservation challenges.
Visit the Tech4Nature website: https://tech4nature.iucngreenlist.org/what-is-tech4nature/
Information about TECH4ALL
TECH4ALL is Huawei’s long-term digital inclusion initiative and action plan. With the help of innovative technologies and partnerships, TECH4ALL aims to enable integration and sustainability in the digital world.
Visit the Huawei TECH4ALL website at https://www.huawei.com/en/tech4all
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