From wolves to leopards to porcupines, how AI and drones help protect life in endangered grasslands

Often termed semi-arid ‘wastelands’, these areas are complex, high-value grassland ecosystems that provide a home to a plethora of life forms, including a large population of the Indian grey wolf, hyenas, Indian gazelle (chinkara), foxes, porcupines, and hundreds of bird species.

All these animals depend on the grasslands, which are threatened by multiple factors, including but not limited to overgrazing, urban expansion and mining, Invasive plant species altering the ecosystem, and a lack of policy protection.

Enter The Grasslands Trust (TGT), an organisation dedicated to bringing together lifelong conservation enthusiasts and newly inspired change-makers, all driven by a shared mission: to restore and protect endangered savanna grasslands and the communities that rely upon them. Covering Kendur, Purandar, Saswad and the Morgaon Belt, The Grasslands Trust works not just for conservation of these areas, but for recognition.

The first line of protection for both flora and fauna is and always will be the community that lives there, equipping like-minded citizens with basic field kits and guides, with good reports earning additional gear like binoculars and cameras.

Their primary objective right now is a combination of camera trapping over large landscapes in a grid format and sighting substantiation by locals. They are also imaging and mapping the breeding grounds of the Indian wolves, so that future conservation efforts can be made to preserve those areas.

“We are using drones to develop this imagery, and Artificial Intelligence is used to identify each animal in the grassland,” said Mihir Godbole, the founder. The use of an AI model during training has changed the game for individual identification. They fly drones over large stretches of land, and the video recordings provide precise counts of animal types and numbers in the grasslands.

A biodiversity goldmine

This saves a tremendous amount of time and wipes out human error. This specific technique has been groundbreaking in conservation efforts for the Indian wolf.

“There are around 11 breeding sites in Pune district alone, which is more than the number of sites recorded in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Karnataka combined,” said Godbole.

The high-definition images capture identifying characteristics, such as markings on their fur, and can track them once they leave the pack. This helps them follow overall movements and understand the pack’s range, enabling crucial research into their social behaviour, pack hierarchy, and decision-making. Additionally, mapping and identification can even be done at night with thermal cameras, as many animals in the grasslands are nocturnal, a huge step toward mapping and conservation.

“Datasets that are being developed right now encompass all species present in the area; we are going to be able to identify every individual animal in the grasslands, not just wolves,” said Godbole.

Dr Sachin Anil Punekar, conservation biologist and founder president of Biospheres, an organisation working with the mission of conserving biodiversity for human well-being through research, advocacy and capacity building, said, “TGT has made a very significant contribution to research highlighting the grassland ecosystem and the biodiversity therein. Their ecological studies of mammals like leopards, Indian grey wolves, hyenas, Bengal foxes and so on have had a considerable impact.”

However, there is still work to be done, he said. “In most of the government records, the grasslands have been termed as a wasteland. They should receive proper conservation-minded acknowledgement. There is an urgent need to document the plant-animal interaction to better understand the importance of the ecological services provided by these areas.”

The birds and animals are obviously dependent on their habitats, but the local population is just as dependent on the wilderness to feed their livestock and, in turn, feed themselves.

“The economy of the country depends on the ecology of the country,” said Punekar.

Pranoy Mishra is an intern with The Indian Express.