As global protected areas increase from 123 million km2 to 153 million km2 by 2030, anti-poaching patrols will be pushed to the limit.
2024 Schmidt Science Fellow Charles Emogor plans to enhance the management of these important areas by using artificial intelligence to help crucial anti-poaching patrols identify and target poaching hotspots.
He will use a unique combination of data from a biodiversity hotspot, including self-reported poaching records from hunters, to predict poaching hotspots and determine optimal allocation of patrol efforts for poaching deterrence. The findings could be incorporated into ranger patrol toolkits to enhance anti-poaching patrols globally.
Interdisciplinary Pivot: Biological Sciences to Math & Computer Science