Technology For Nature - Kate Jones

Wild nature and natural ecosystems are declining rapidly as humans use more of the earth’s resources and change climate patterns. Thanks to the growth of networks of citizen scientists and new sensor technology such as animal movement tags, camera traps and passive acoustic sensors, scientists studying the impact of anthropogenic change now have access to huge amounts of data about our changing environment and declining wildlife populations. However, analysing these ‘big biodiversity data’ brings its own challenges. 

Kate Jones is Professor of Ecology and Biodiversity at University College London and The Zoological Society of London and heads the Biodiversity Modelling Research Group at the Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research. Winner of the 2008 Philip Leverhulme Award for Outstanding Contributions to Zoology, Professor Kate Jones will review some of the latest advances in sensors used to monitor wildlife. Kate argues that although technological advances have undoubtedly contributed to the over-exploitation of natural resources and decline of wild nature, technology can also help us to better understand the natural world and to further engage people with their environment.