Software and mobile applications are equally as important to conservation technology as the hardware used in the field. Increasingly developed specifically for #tech4wildlife needs, there are mobile apps and software options designed to help with protected area management, wildlife crime reporting, and anti-poaching patrol planning, data analysis, community science, data visualization and GIS mapping, outreach and engagement, and even conservation storytelling.
Likewise, mobile games have opened up new avenues for engaging the public in conservation efforts, allowing for immersive storytelling and interactive experiences. By combining cutting-edge technology and important conservation information with a media form already familiar to the public, conservationists are finding exciting ways to make audiences feel personally invested in critical species and habitats.
Whether you're looking for software and mobile app developers to help you with your own conservation tech needs, you have questions about development, you're looking for resources, or you'd like to share your own app, software, or gaming tools, this is the group for you!
Header photo: Trevor Hebert
The International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP), a coalition of World Wildlife Fund and Fauna & Flora International, has teamed up with Inmarsat, the world’s leading mobile satellite communications company,...
23 July 2019
Ol Pejeta Conservancy partners with conservation and technology organisations to kick-start a research and innovation centre for wildlife conservation
31 May 2019
Tom Swinfield and colleagues at the Forest Ecology and Conservation Group have assessed the quality of three dimensional forest models produced from drone surveys, and conclude that concerns about their quality for...
31 May 2019
FLIR announces the launch of their Conservation Discount Program, which offers projects the opportunity to qualify for a 30% discount on select thermal, visible, and maritime products. Share your conservation plan and...
23 May 2019
This webinar recording will provide a brief overview of current SMART functionality, highlight case studies of large scale and innovative SMART deployments, and detail how SMART is embracing and leveraging new...
21 May 2019
In February, we released an open call for the WILDLABS TECH HUB, offering 3 months of support for solutions using technolgy to tackle the illegal wildlife trade. We were overwhelmed by an incredible 37 submissions,...
13 May 2019
Ted Schmitt joined us for a lunchtime lecture in which he shared his experiences working across Africa the past five years with protected area managers, anti-trafficking organisations, and scientists to effectively...
22 November 2018
Funding
Empowering communities to monitor & report on their environment
19 February 2018
Following the UK Government’s landmark announcement of plans to introduce a complete ban on the domestic trade in ivory, it was fitting that a new machine learning product designed to tackle the supply end of this...
6 December 2017
Article
A new research project is looking to investigate whether technology combined with the ancient skills and knowledge of Namibian trackers can help save cheetahs from extinction. Called FIT Cheetahs, the research project...
4 December 2017
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
It’s one thing to hear that a project is working, it’s another thing entirely to see the data brought to life. Using submersible and aerial drones, as well as scientists with snorkels and digital cameras, The Nature...
4 October 2017
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40 Products
Recently updated products
Kid-friendly wildlife apps
4 November 2016 4:16pm
15 November 2016 4:47pm
Hi Katzyna,
Not an app, but United for Wildlife are releasing a new free online course on the illegal wildlife trade on the 17th that has Vietnamese subtitles and transcripts available. The website with the course is here: http://learn.unitedforwildlife.org/ but the new course won't be live until the 17th. I am happy to send you some further information on this if you would like?
Just let me know!
15 November 2016 6:32pm
Hi katzyna,
Of those I know, there are none that meets the two criteria that interest you. For example, Wildscan allows you to report illegal wildlife trafficking in Asia, but I don't consider it as kid friendly. Maybe WildSense, to save tigers, or even the app of WWF are more suitable. Also you can take a look to Virry, from UK, or QuestaGame, from Australia.
Best,
Judit
5 Smart Technologies That Will Crack Down On Wildlife Trafficking
14 November 2016 12:00am
Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act grants via USFWS
8 November 2016 12:00am
How do Wildlife Crime Experts view Remote Sensing Technologies used to Combat Illegal Wildlife Crime?
7 November 2016 12:00am
Zoohackathon: 'END LOOP - Coding to end wildlife trafficking'
22 September 2016 12:00am
Engaging this community
23 August 2016 8:27am
Request for Expression of Interest for Individual Consultants to Conduct Remote Sensing and Geospatial Analysis
4 August 2016 12:00am
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20 July 2016 12:00am
Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge Accelerator Bootcamp
24 June 2016 12:00am
Sustainable Palm Oil Transparency Toolkit (SPOTT)
8 June 2016 12:00am
Internet of Elephants game play survey
16 May 2016 7:44am
TEAM Network and Wildlife Insights
28 April 2016 12:00am
Can UAVs be Used to Measure Forest Quality?
27 April 2016 12:00am
ContentMine: Mining Helpful Facts for Conservation
5 April 2016 12:00am
Games for change Climate Challenge: A $10,000 game design competition
17 March 2016 2:03pm
4 April 2016 9:33am
Hah! I just logged in to post this. I talked with the G4C people the other day. Thanks fo beating me to it.
The Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (SMART)
15 March 2016 12:00am
Ecotech Grants from the Captain Planet Foundation
18 February 2016 12:00am
Upcoming Courses on Coding
10 February 2016 12:00am
Playing with Complexity: Games and Systems Thinking
13 January 2016 12:00am
Can gaming help conservation? - Wildsense Tiger App
27 November 2015 11:01am
28 December 2015 7:09pm
Hi Steph,
Thanks for your message. I would be delighted to answer your question about Wildsense.
You are correct that our aim is to do a lot more than raise awareness and engange citizens with our Wildsense Tigers game.
We are using images from a range of image sharing websites that have been uploaded by people online and publicly shared. Each photograph contains valuable information that often includes the time and location that the photograph is taken. If we can understand when a photo was taken, where it was taken, and the individual animal in the photograph, then we can start to build up a picture of the movement of individuals. We are benefiting from people power from the users that are both indirectly uploading photographs online and also directly interacting with our Wildsense game. We are combining this with computing power with our data analysis, computer vision and machine learning software.
We are doing this experiment on a large scale and we believe that "the wisdom of the crowd" will enable us to gather and analyse enough information so that we can build an accurate picture. We started with wild tigers and our plan is to create a platform that can be used for other species as well. We are working on other animals already behind the scenes.
I hope that answers your question.
Best wishes,
Aaron Mason
11 January 2016 1:29pm
Hi Aaron,
It's a great concept of using gaming for the benefit of conservation, but I do have one big question about Wildsense and tigers. Since poaching is one of the main threats to the 3,000 or so remaining wildl tigers, there are great risks involved with publicizing the location and timing of any tiger sightings.
Furthermore, this approach can probably only work for Bengal tigers, since other tiger species, such as Sumatran and Malayan, are very rarely sighted, even by the most dedicated conservationists ( or poachers), as their jungle habitat is so dense. For Bengal Tigers, there are already ventures for online monitoring and identificaton, such as Tigernation.org.
Good luck with your project. Barbara from BiodiversityBusiness.
11 January 2016 6:33pm
Hi Barbara,
You are right in that cyberpoaching is becoming an increasing risk. I have seen various cases where information posted on social media has provided too much information and then ended up in the wrong hands (e.g. http://www.army.mil/article/75165/Geotagging_poses_security_risks/).
We need to be careful about the accuracy of information that is disclosed. Providing an approximate time and location seems to be the most popular adopted approach.
Hacking is another issue. For example, I have seen research demonstrating the potential to gain unauthrised access to GPS collar data.
Our main focus has been the Bengal Tiger but we want to see how much we can learn about other tigers as well. Our end goal is to support a range of animal species.
P.S. I am pleased that you are aware of http://www.tigernation.org - I co-founded it :)
Mobile Phone Reporting for Rapid Wildlife Health Response in Uganda
22 December 2015 12:00am
Gaming for Good: Minecraft and Quiz Up
3 December 2015 12:00am
Case Study: Gaming for Good with Runescape and Angry Birds
26 November 2015 10:55am
Gaming for Good: Runescape and Angry Birds
25 November 2015 12:00am
From Data Collection to Decisions
6 November 2015 12:00am
9 November 2016 11:54am
Hi Katzyna, we have an app called Instant Wild where you can see camera trap images coming in and help identify what is in them - you can take a look/find out more at http://www.edgeofexistence.org/instantwild
Chloe