Human-wildlife conflict is a shockingly common problem, often with enormous consequences for both individual animals and entire populations.
When human-wildlife conflict comes to mind, you may immediately think of wildlife crime instead - which isn't wrong, since many regions with wildlife crime problems like poaching are also areas where people may frequently deal with human-wildlife conflict, causing the two issues to go hand-in-hand. But human-wildlife conflict is a much broader issue encompassing many ways that human presence and interference can cause problems for us and animals alike. Human-wildlife conflict includes:
- Elephants trampling a farmer's crops, resulting in retaliation
- New real estate developments infringing on ecosystems where predator species live, leading to predators having less territory and less food, which in turn leads to predators attacking domestic animals and livestock
- Freeways dividing the territory of animals like mountain lions, leading to wildlife venturing into neighborhoods or being killed by cars
- Lead bullets used in hunting causing scavengers like condors to die of lead poisoning
These are just a few examples of how humans can negatively impact wildlife, and it's clear to see how many of these scenarios could escalate. Human-wildlife conflict solutions don't just include ways in which we can prevent these issues (for example, through tracking predators, monitoring populations' territories, or building barriers and wildlife crossings monitored by sensors), but also the ways in which we can help people connect with wildlife and care about learning to live alongside them.
If you're interested in solutions that can prevent human-wildlife conflict, join this group and get to know the people who are working to protect and save species around the world!
Header image: Casey Allen on Unsplash
WILDLABS
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Early-career movement ecologist currently working with an interdisciplinary team to develop and deploy animal-borne tracking devices with the interest of monitoring and studying the fine-scale behaviors of large carnivores, particularly in the context of human wildlife conflict
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World Wide Fund for Nature/ World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
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- @Merin_Joji1297
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Curently doing PhD at the University of Copenhagen on Effects of Shell asymmetry in Indian freshwater turtles using Geomteric morphometrics.
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Technologist, birder, photographer and mountain guide.
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- @vandita_shukla
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PhD candidate studying drone flight planning for enabling tracking and identification of individual characteristics of wildlife; member of the WildDrone, an MSCA Doctoral Network funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research
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Movement Ecologist studying the where, why, and how animals move throughout our world. Current work is investigating the movement and energetics of large neotropical bats in a changing environment with ephemeral resources.
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- @tom_august
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Computational ecologist with interests in computer vision, citizen science, open science, drones, acoustics, data viz, software engineering, public engagement
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GreenLab
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Over 35 years of experience in biodiversity conservation worldwide, largely focused on forests, rewilding and conservation technology. I run my own business assisting nonprofits and agencies in the conservation community
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Our panel of international experts has been hard at work reviewing the 47 proposals we recieved for innovative technological tools to address human wildlife conflict. The panelists have systematically been assessing the...
20 October 2017
The inherent complexity of not only deploying technologies in the field but also doing so in a scientifically rigorous manner can prove a substantial barrier for the effective use of conservation technologies, and clear...
11 October 2017
The Domain Awareness System (DAS) is a revolution in monitoring technology, creating real-time awareness of protected areas assets. This technology has the potential to completely change standard monitoring procedures...
26 September 2017
Article
Human-wildlife conflict can be difficult to understand without knowing its impact on people and communities. In this case study, authored by community member and Human Wildlife Conflict Tech Challenge coordinator Femke...
19 September 2017
Earlier this year, WILDLABS community member Shashank Srinivasan was involved in an operation to capture the Pilibhit man-eater. In this account, he shares how they successfully managed to tranquilize and capture the...
10 August 2017
Frustrated by the limitations of the tools that were available for managing large camera trap data sets, Heidi Hendry and Chris Mann set out to develop something that met their needs, and thus, Camelot was born. In...
7 July 2017
Funding
The European Space Agency is calling for Kick-Start ideas to leverage space technology for wildlife protection. Three main topics of interest have been identified: 1) Wildlife monitoring, tracking and inventory, 2)...
5 July 2017
In this From the Field interview, we speak to Eric Becker, a conservation technology engineer at the World Wildlife Fund US. He talks about his work in technology design and the key challenges he's experienced...
22 May 2017
In this From the Field interview, we speak to Dr. Raman Sukumar, a world renowned expert on Asian elephant conservation. He shares his thoughts on how technology could be used for mitigating elephant-human conflict, and...
5 April 2017
The Camera Traps group is one the most active in our community, with members keen to discuss approaches to data management and processing, study design, and new software and hardware developments. Indeed, the top entry...
23 March 2017
In our new From the Field series, we're speaking with WILDLABS members to discover how they use technology in their work. Through these interviews we will be showcasing the variety of technologies our members are...
22 March 2017
Are you ready for this year's #Tech4Wildlife Photo Challenge? In anticipation, we're counting down our ten favourite entries from last year. Do you think you can top these?
1 March 2017
October 2024
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19 Products
2 R&D Projects
29 Organisations
Recently updated products
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Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
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Hi David - have you seen this opportunity? It may be a good one to apply to for support (the Darwin Initiative). |
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AI for Conservation, Drones, Emerging Tech, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Wildlife Crime | 3 days 10 hours ago | |
Hey @FleuryGS :)Bright Frog Game Studios is producing some really cool environmental education video games that more people should know about! I've gone ahead and added it as an... |
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Human-Wildlife Conflict | 3 weeks 2 days ago | |
Thank you Robyn. Sure I will send more information to your email |
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Citizen Science, Acoustics, Conservation Tech Training and Education, Human-Wildlife Conflict | 1 month 1 week ago | |
Totally agree.Inititally sceptical until I saw Helena and Graeme were involved.MJ |
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Acoustics, Citizen Science, Community Base, Human-Wildlife Conflict | 1 month 2 weeks ago | |
Hi @Henrikcox I hope you are well. I am not sure if you may remember myself and my colleague from CLS. We had a meeting and met in-person at Earthranger last year. ... |
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Human-Wildlife Conflict, Sensors | 2 months 1 week ago | |
Great to know Lars! Let's stay in touch on this, would love to join the testing out there.Cheers,Henrik |
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Human-Wildlife Conflict | 2 months 1 week ago | |
This thread is off-topic in this conversation, so happy to continue it in the other one. However, just noting - your system is one example, but not the only one - there are... |
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Human-Wildlife Conflict, Data management and processing tools | 2 months 1 week ago | |
Hello community, I wanted to share some exciting updates about my ongoing conservation project for endangered species. I post this here... |
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Human-Wildlife Conflict, Early Career | 2 months 3 weeks ago | |
Hi Rokshana,Maybe you can try this product from India called ANIDERS - I think this product would help you a lot. This is their website - |
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Human-Wildlife Conflict, East Africa Community | 2 months 4 weeks ago | |
Perfect thanks! I am still a novice using Python but my wife can help me! |
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AI for Conservation, Camera Traps, Human-Wildlife Conflict | 3 months 2 weeks ago | |
@PaulAllin Thanks for your valuable insights. Zenmuse H20N seems to be very powerful and useful in this case. However, I'm looking for a more affordable option for a self-funded... |
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Drones, Human-Wildlife Conflict | 3 months 2 weeks ago | |
Hi Amit,The most important thing is that the livestock owners contact you as soon as possible after finding the carcass. We commonly do two things if they contact us on the same... |
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Camera Traps, AI for Conservation, Conservation Tech Training and Education, Early Career, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Protected Area Management Tools | 4 months ago |
HWC Tech Challenge Update: Testing our prototype thermal cameras in the Arctic
9 January 2019 12:00am
Wild pigs crop damage assessment and movement using GIS and drones
28 December 2018 5:15am
3 January 2019 9:57am
Dear Sdorji,
Thanks for sharing! Are you specifically looking for monitoring methods? In that case, you could probably also find relevant information outside of the HWC group, perhaps in groups focussing on camera trapping, the use of drones etc on the other WILDLABS pages. Do you know about the Bhutanese national HWC strategy? Does this also focus on wild boars? Or is your initiative not connected to that?
Best regards,
Femke
5 January 2019 8:24am
Dear Femke,
I am actually looking for studying the crop damages using drones and also tracking the movements, may be using GPS collars. But I do not actually know about these tools and have not used. So just thought if I can get methods and procedures. It is great that you already know about our national strategy. Yes, I am the core member of Bhutanese national HWC strategy and we have recently completed drafting. I have worked on wild pigs chapter and one strategy there is crop damage assessments and movements study. We are also proposing crop insurance but without a concrete data, there is nothing we can do about crop insurance. So I am thinking to collect basic information such as crop damages and movements of wild pigs.
Locally fabricated electric/solar fencing widely spreading in Bhutan
28 December 2018 5:57am
3 January 2019 9:57am
Dear Sdorji,
Thanks for sharing and your request for suppport from this group! I was thinking that perhaps @Mohan+Raj could share with you some insights from India? He has also developed fences and is involved in the technologies to improve monitoring and maintanance.
Best regards,
Femke
5 January 2019 8:18am
Dear Femke,
Thank you for your email. I hope I can hear from Mohan Raj. Electric fencing is one area where it can play very important role in human wildlife conflict management. In Bhutan, there are now about 3636 km and we are already experiencing some issues such as sustainability, wooden poles, nelgect during off-season, etc. I hope we can learn from each other and see areas for collaboration.
Thanks.
Sangay
How camera traps help reduce tension between farmers and cheetahs in Botswana
2 January 2019 2:31pm
Viral bear video shows how drones threaten wildlife – and what to do about it
22 November 2018 12:00am
WILDLABS Virtual Meetup: Networked Sensors for Security and HWC Prevention
12 November 2018 12:00am
Google AI Impact Challenge
7 November 2018 3:44pm
Working together for wildlife
5 November 2018 6:27pm
6 November 2018 11:39am
E-Shepherd Collars - Anyone working with them?
4 October 2017 2:10pm
4 October 2017 6:22pm
Thanks, I'll check it out!
31 August 2018 9:58am
Hi Fleury,
I like to learn more about this collar. Can you send me some detailed information about it? I like to investigate if it can be an extended sulution to combine this collar with our prowild technology.
Hope to hear from you
16 October 2018 3:30pm
Hello Fleury
I am aware that such a collar has been tested in France to protect sheeps fromm wolves' attacks. I am also looking for some information about it to possibly test it out for jaguars and pumas in South America. It could be relevant to exchange about our respective experience about it.
I am also setting up the ENCOSH project which aims at co-developping the first international exchange platform to promote the sharing of knowledge, skills and experiences about local initiatives worldwide among various stakeholders. You could have a look in the website: encosh.org
Don't hesitate to get back to me about it.
Best
Tommy
WildCRU Forum on Conservation Geopolitics: Developing Conversations Across Disciplines
24 September 2018 12:00am
Early animal detection
27 July 2018 3:58pm
30 August 2018 9:05pm
Hi Anne and the Arribada team. This is such an exciting project and so pleased to see the progress you are making.
A couple of quick ideas sprang to mind reading your latest update. Firstly, the Lepton images are actually quite impressive I reckon. I was very pleasently surprised as I'd never really seen performance in relation to animals.
One thing I've noticed in working with thermal equipment is that sometimes it can help to have a known heat source/reference temperature to kind of callibrate the sensor. I first discovered this using a hand-held Flir unit made for industrial applications in searching for koalas in trees in Australia. Although the temperature range of interest could be set on the unit (also very useful), I noticed it performed even better when I placed my finger a little bit in front of the lens. It seemed to have an effect of markedly reducing the background thermal noise and made it a bit easier to spot koalas. I've sinced wondered about something a little more sophisticated, perhaps set up at various ranges from imagers, able to produce a fairly constant, known reference temperature and whether this would even help that much. Thoughts?
Also, we have a Flir Vue Pro R, the "R" standing for radiometric, which essentially just means that every pixel records quite an accurate temperature, which I've honestly never even looked at before. Recently I was asked by a researcher to borrow the unit to see if she could count flying foxes. I wondered whether, along with the actual images, the radiometric data might be useful. For example, I can imagine an algorithm scanning images looking for "clumps" or groupings of target temp pixels. I believe the Lepton series has a model that offers radiometry, which you may already have, and I'd be interested in collaborating on this front (e.g. providing reference data from the Vue etc., or whatever you think could be useful).
Finally, I don't know whether it'd be of much use, but we have an old Flir 120 x 80 pixel surveillance camera just sitting here that you are welcome to borrow. If you could cover shipping you are certainly welcome to use it for the term of the project. Not doing anything of value here at the moment.
Anyhow, my best for this great project and really looking forward to more updates.
Rob
Exchange of solutions submitted to the HWC Tech Challenge
11 July 2018 10:41am
23 August 2018 9:20am
23 August 2018 9:26am
30 August 2018 8:46pm
Here's a blurb of our idea cut-and-pasted from our application:
We propose utilising animal detection and alerting technology that Wild Spy has already developed and extensively tested (e.g. wireless identification (WID) technology). The system utilises long-life (5-10+ years) animal-borne WID transmitters as a primary and highly accurate means of detecting individual animals when they come within a predetermined range (from 5m up to 500m). Our versatile data logger/receiver and alerting system can be carried by personnel, outfitted to vehicles, buildings or other infrastructure, or carried by drones/aircraft. Alerts can be immediately sent via satellite or radio. Detection data can be stored on board and sent by various means (depending on available networks) and at nominated stages.
In addition, our system has also recently been redesigned to allow activation of additional devices, such as cameras or deterrents/repellents. Almost 1000 sound files can be stored on a deterrent system and played randomly in an effort to prevent habituation to specific sounds and provide tests of sound variety and intensity. A variety of strobe and intense lights can be simultaneously operated with acoustic stimuli. In principle, virtually any electronically-controllable deterrent could be incorporated into the system (e.g. propane cannons, fire crackers, water/chemical jets, motorised effigies). A similar system, complete with an acoustic deterrent, is currently being tested on lions involved in conflict with livestock producers in Botswana, under a project headed by Dr Neil Jordan (UNSW).
In conjunction with tagged animal detections, additional detection measures will be added to the system to bolster detection probabilities and enable detection of untagged individuals. Pertinent examples include passive infrared (PIR) and so-called “break-the-beam” motion detection if suited to the conditions, which we have successfully used in other projects. Another option will be to use FLIR thermal cameras, which we have many years’ experience with and could prove very useful in some circumstances, especially once thermal signatures of the target species have been properly determined.
This application was largely aimed at larger species that could acoomodate relatively large 433MHz tags, but we also have a 2.4GHz version for smaller critters.
We'll be releasing it all to open-source hopefully very, very soon.
More than happy to provide additional information to anyone interested and keep up the amazing work everyone. I've been very inspired by the projects I've come across through the challenge and on WILDLABS more generally.
Also, perhaps this is the beginnings of a think tank of sorts for these kinds of ideas, which I'd love to be involved in. Maybe we could have a group chat/Skype event - or a mini, digital "conference" discussing all these (and other ideas). I'd be keen.
Beehive fences and elephants: Tanzanian case study offers fresh insights
27 August 2018 12:00am
Update on Richard Turere, inventor of 'Lion lights'
13 August 2018 10:02pm
Conservation Biology Special Section: Call for HWC Papers
13 August 2018 2:32pm
Using crowd-sourced funding to track snakes
30 July 2018 12:00am
Thermal Sensor Project Update: Testing with live animals at the San Diego Zoo
27 July 2018 12:00am
31 March 2023 2:15pm
Stop Elephant Poaching from the Demand Side
31 January 2018 2:05am
16 July 2018 11:23pm
Our new mobile app, "i of the Elephant", is beginning to pay off. Acting on a report from our app, last month agents from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the USFWS busted four stores in New York State. In total, nearly 100 illegal items were recovered during the search, with the total retail market value of the pieces exceeding $15,000. Items seized included carvings made from elephant ivory, an article made from elephant hide, a saw tooth fish rostrum, a crocodilian head, and a large sea turtle carapace. Hopefully there will be more to come.
HWC online document library now live
11 July 2018 3:32pm
HWC Tech Challenge: Smart Electric Fence Solution
5 June 2018 12:00am
HWC Tech Challenge: Thermopile Sensor Project
19 April 2018 12:00am
Reporting back: Duke Blueprint Conference
22 February 2018 5:34pm
25 February 2018 6:15pm
I second Nilanga's words -- inspiring and valuable experience and innovative results from this event. It was an amazing opportunity to meet and network with a group of professionals and individuals (there as mentors) working in the conservation technology space.
The best part for me -- is this is run out of the Engineering school! So awesome to see engineering students applying their skills and smarts to conservation problems -- let's grow that conservation tech field and profession.
Other submission for review and comment on devpost - https://blueprint.devpost.com/
Technology Empowered Conservation Lecture Series
18 January 2018 12:00am
Instant Detect 2.0: A Connected Future for Conservation
17 January 2018 12:00am
FIT Cheetahs
4 December 2017 12:00am
HWC Tech Challenge Winners Announced
1 November 2017 12:00am
HWC Tech Challenge Announcements
13 September 2017 10:54am
20 October 2017 2:43pm
HWC Tech Challenge Update
WInners to be announced on the 1st November, 2017
First of all, we’d like to thank you all again for your interest and participation in the Human Wildlife Conflict Tech Challenge!
We were (and still are) overwhelmed by all the great ideas submitted by an enthusiastic group of technologists with a heart for nature. Our dedicated group of panellists has been hard at working reviewing all 47 proposals and is now in the midst of discussions about how the various proposed tools could be implemented on the ground.
Due to the high quality and quantity of applications, this process has taken a little longer than expected. So we have made the decision that we will take some extra time to be certain that we've chosen the best possible proposals.
We will announce the winners of the challenge on 1st November 2017.
Initial Feedback from our Judges
Although we are not ready to announce the winners, we can share some initial feedback from the experts who will be making the difficult decisions about which proposal to take forward into field deployment.
Amalia R Maling, a community-based conservaiton specialist who is part of our TIger Case Judging panel, shared her inital thoughts about the applications:
“I was pleasantly surprised that many of the applications were from people who are not in the field of conservation; proves that we have to expand our reach beyond our usual partners to discover new technologies tools. Conservation should be everybody’s business and we should tap the diverse talents out there.”
Geoff York, Senior Director of Conservation at Polar Bears International, Chair of the Polar Bear Range States Conflict Working Group, was invigorated by the judging process:
“Wildlife conservation desperately needs an infusion of innovative ideas, especially around our use, or lack thereof, of the latest technologies.”
“I was impressed by both the creativity and quality of the proposals and see a lot of opportunity to combine ideas, and engage new people in conservation efforts.”
Samuel Thomas, Coordinator WWF Western Ghats Nilgiris Landscape Programme, brings a grounded perspective to the Elephant panel:
“Human-elephant conflict is complex and very challenging as elephants learn quickly and defy anything that is thrown at them. Traditional watch and ward practices have declined, so farmers and conservation managers today are looking for easier ways to deal with crop raiding animals. This is where technology can help – and my interest in the challenge was to see what state of the art technologies or innovations on existing technology can help people and animals in conflict zones.”
“ A few of the proposals were interesting and the quality of most proposals was high, but most are in the realm of strategy and design – the real challenges are in the field and only a few ideas had been hard tested. I also think there is general tendency among proponents to understate the availability and use of existing, off-the-shelf technologies. Also, while the scope for technological applications is endless, we need to temper it with a sound understanding of animal behaviour, landscape conditions, costs and sustainability. Sadly, many proposals do not have this nuanced understanding.”
Mike Brown, a judge in our overarching panel, shared his initial impressions of the applications:
'In my role at Bowery Capital, I evaluate thousands of technology businesses in the for-profit arena and am participating as a panelist to carry that passion into the non-profit world... After early review, the proposals were definitely in great form with many of the applicants understanding the challenge at hand. Many embraced the process and gave reviewers like me some great information and technical details to help assess. The creativity was evident and I felt that the group really strived to create uniqueness to their businesses. I was excited to see that many of the applicants are seeing how important the issue is.'
Bob Hansen, a specialist on human-polar bear conflict mitigation in Canada, shared his motivations for joining the Polar Bear Judging panel:
“I see participating in this competition as a way to contribute to the important efforts to solve human wildlife conflicts. I also appreciate this learning opportunity. The HWC Technology Challenge of WWF and WILDLABS casts a worldwide net for cutting edge ideas that can be practically applied to prevent conflict with polar bears and to enhance human safety.”
“I’ve learned a great deal in reviewing the proposals. It is clear that there is great potential in selecting innovations developed elsewhere and testing them for efficacy in reducing human-polar bear conflicts. It is encouraging to see the way in which so many experts are harnessing their knowledge and expertise in terms of animal behaviour, biology, culture, environment, technology and other skills to further co-existence with wildlife.”
Finally, Ramesh Krishnamurthy, tiger biologist, reintroduction specialist, expert in human-tiger conflict, and member of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, had this to say:
”I participated as a panelist as I feel that technological integration is very much needed in the current and future contexts to ensure tiger conservation in the range countries.”
“My first impression of the applications in general is that there are many people out there who are willing to break conventional options to work for conservation and that many options are emerging. The overall quality was mixed and ambitious. I was certainly encouraged to see the options proposed and encourage all the project proponents to collaborate with tiger biologists to make the solution effective and R&D more productive.”
Introducing our Judging Panel
The HWC Tech Challenge put forward three complex cases that called for applicants to show their ingenuity, innovation and an understanding of the potential limitations of local field conditions. To assess the applications across these cases, we have brought together experts to form four judging panels:
Elephant Case Judging Panel
- Mohan Raj, Consultant to WWF India
- Anupam Sarmah, Head of NBL & KKL landscapes
- Christy Williams, Country director WWF Myanmar
- Boominathan Durairaj, HWC expert, WWF India
- Samuel Thomas, HWC expert, WWF India
Carnivore Case: Tiger Judging Panel
- Ramesh Krishnamurthy, Scientist at Wildlife institute of India
- Robert Steinmetz, Scientist WWF Thailand
- Sunarto Sunarto, Scientist WWF Indonesia
- Akbar A. Digdo, YAPEKA (partner WWF ID)
- Amy Maling, Communities expert, WWF Myanmar
- Anurag Danda, Programme manager WWF India
Carnivore Case: Polar Bear Judging Panel
- Geoff York, Polar Bears International
- Doug Clark, Centennial Chair in Human Dimensions of Environment & Sustainability School of Environment & Sustainability, University of Saskatchewan
- Bob Hansen, PB conflict reduction expert, previously Govt. Canada
Overall Judging Panel
- Eric Becker, Engineer WWF US
- Mike Brown, Founder & General Partner at Bowery Capital
Best of luck to all our applicants, and we look forward to announcing our winners very soon!
Best regards,
The HWC Tech Challenge Team
Femke Hilderink – WWF
Stephanie O’Donnell – WILDLABS
Ellen de Wolf – WWF
Gert Polet – WWF
HWC Tech Challenge Update: Meet the Judges
20 October 2017 12:00am
Download New Conservation Tech Guidelines: Camera Traps, Acoustics and LiDAR
11 October 2017 12:00am
DAS: A Scaleable Solution For Protected Area Management
26 September 2017 12:00am
31 March 2023 1:24pm