The Nature Conservancy (TNC), Hawai'i and Palmyra announced that artificial intelligence powered imagery analysis detected two more seabird species at Palmyra Atoll, both of which were thought to have disappeared for decades. This achievement underscores the effectiveness of seabird habitat restoration efforts.
TNC, in partnership with organizations in Hawai'i and Palmyra, has reported the identification of a blue noddy (Procelsterna cerulea) and a wedge-tailed shearwater (Puffinus pacificus) at Palmyra Atoll, according to a press release. These bird species had been locally extinct since World War II, possibly due to habitat disruption and the introduction of invasive rats.
According to the release, the AI technology responsible for this discovery is the Rapid Automatic Image Detection (RAIC) tool, developed by Synthetaic, a partner of TNC. It was employed to analyze drone imagery collected by TNC to assess the atoll's ecosystem. The large amount of data generated by the drones made manual analysis impractical, but the RAIC tool successfully identified the two bird species.
Alex Wegmann, TNC's Island Resilience lead scientist, emphasized the significance of this discovery. "We would never have found either of those birds looking at the image data on our own,” he said in the release. “By analyzing our data in RAIC, the information about these birds became accessible in a way it wouldn't have been otherwise."
This discovery is part of a broader initiative launched in 2020 by TNC and its partners to reintroduce eight seabird species to the atoll. Palmyra Atoll is managed jointly by TNC and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, serving as a TNC preserve and research station within a National Wildlife Refuge. Restoring these birds is a crucial aspect of the atoll's long-term restoration plan, which also includes eradicating invasive rats and restoring the tropical forest, according to the release.
Katie Franklin, Palmyra Island Conservation Strategy lead, stressed the importance of seabirds in the ecosystem. "Seabirds are important because their nutrient-rich guano plays a central role in the health of atoll ecosystems, including their resilience to climate change,” she said in the release.
Synthetaic, TNC's AI partner, collaborates with nonprofit organizations through the AI for Impact program to apply AI technology to real-world challenges, according to the release. TNC's success in using RAIC to analyze drone footage highlights the value of this tool for conservation efforts. It will also be incorporated into the toolkit for a coalition working on similar restoration projects at Teti'aroa Atoll.
This discovery offers hope for the revival of more species and the restoration of ecosystems worldwide, demonstrating the potential of AI in conservation. "I strongly believe that what we're doing at Palmyra is scalable and repeatable, and tools like RAIC make that possible,” said Wegmann in the release.
For more information, visit TNC's official website at https://www.nature.org/.