Identifying conservation technology needs, barriers, and opportunities
Abstract Amid accelerating threats to species and ecosystems, technology advancements to monitor, protect, and conserve biodiversity have taken on increased importance. While most innovations stem from adaptation of off-the-shelf devices, these tools can fail to meet the specialized needs of conserv...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-08330-w |
| _version_ | 1818358138919714816 |
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| author | Nathan R. Hahn Sara P. Bombaci George Wittemyer |
| author_facet | Nathan R. Hahn Sara P. Bombaci George Wittemyer |
| author_sort | Nathan R. Hahn |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Amid accelerating threats to species and ecosystems, technology advancements to monitor, protect, and conserve biodiversity have taken on increased importance. While most innovations stem from adaptation of off-the-shelf devices, these tools can fail to meet the specialized needs of conservation and research or lack the support to scale beyond a single site. Despite calls from the conservation community for its importance, a shift to bottom-up innovation driven by conservation professionals remains limited. We surveyed practitioners, academic researchers, and technologists to understand the factors contributing to or inhibiting engagement in the collaborative process of technology development and adoption for field use and identify emerging technology needs. High cost was the main barrier to technology use across occupations, while development of new technologies faced barriers of cost and partner communication. Automated processing of data streams was the largest emerging need, and respondents focused mainly on applications for individual-level monitoring and automated image processing. Cross-discipline collaborations and expanded funding networks that encourage cyclical development and continued technical support are needed to address current limitations and meet the growing need for conservation technologies. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T20:24:15Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d062ff217fb64e46a0b150d5158c95a7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T20:24:15Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-d062ff217fb64e46a0b150d5158c95a72022-12-21T23:32:37ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-03-011211710.1038/s41598-022-08330-wIdentifying conservation technology needs, barriers, and opportunitiesNathan R. Hahn0Sara P. Bombaci1George Wittemyer2Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State UniversityDepartment of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State UniversityDepartment of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State UniversityAbstract Amid accelerating threats to species and ecosystems, technology advancements to monitor, protect, and conserve biodiversity have taken on increased importance. While most innovations stem from adaptation of off-the-shelf devices, these tools can fail to meet the specialized needs of conservation and research or lack the support to scale beyond a single site. Despite calls from the conservation community for its importance, a shift to bottom-up innovation driven by conservation professionals remains limited. We surveyed practitioners, academic researchers, and technologists to understand the factors contributing to or inhibiting engagement in the collaborative process of technology development and adoption for field use and identify emerging technology needs. High cost was the main barrier to technology use across occupations, while development of new technologies faced barriers of cost and partner communication. Automated processing of data streams was the largest emerging need, and respondents focused mainly on applications for individual-level monitoring and automated image processing. Cross-discipline collaborations and expanded funding networks that encourage cyclical development and continued technical support are needed to address current limitations and meet the growing need for conservation technologies.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-08330-w |
| spellingShingle | Nathan R. Hahn Sara P. Bombaci George Wittemyer Identifying conservation technology needs, barriers, and opportunities Scientific Reports |
| title | Identifying conservation technology needs, barriers, and opportunities |
| title_full | Identifying conservation technology needs, barriers, and opportunities |
| title_fullStr | Identifying conservation technology needs, barriers, and opportunities |
| title_full_unstemmed | Identifying conservation technology needs, barriers, and opportunities |
| title_short | Identifying conservation technology needs, barriers, and opportunities |
| title_sort | identifying conservation technology needs barriers and opportunities |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-08330-w |
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