Challenges facing conservation and biodiversity management

1. Evolved resistance

Pesticides and herbicides are becoming ineffective in the wake of increasing pest resistance, posing a challenge for controlling pest plants and invertebrates. Potency cannot simply be increased, as that can have a lasting effect on the environment; instead, some groups are trending towards more selective, short-lived agents to address pests, as well as mating disruption technology for invertebrates and biological control.

Species-focused research can also help to improve the understanding of pests and how they interact with their local environment, to better  come up with solutions for sustainable pest control.

2. Surveillance and pest monitoring

Surveying and monitoring the impact of conservation efforts is critical to understand what is working and what needs to change. By monitoring key areas, conservationists can also identify early signs of threats to the local ecosystem, acting early and preventing further damage to the area.

To implement surveillance and monitoring, data collection apps like Locale Central can help you record data on-site, which is then synced to the cloud for easy management or exporting.  You can also look at implementing IoT (Internet of Things) to automatically capture basic data on-site, such as audio, video, temperature, and humidity.

3. Integration with technology

Integration with technology can move pest management and conservation efforts towards “real time” control. Integrating technology with our normal workflows can help improve the productivity of our conservation teams, streamline monitoring, and enable a quicker response to active conservation threats. Here are a few ways technology can be used in conservation:

• IoT sensors to capture movement, temperature, and other basic data for use in monitoring systems.
• Data collection apps like Locale Central for monitoring trap lines, pest plant control, and other important data on-site.
• Apps that get the community involved in monitoring or other conservation activities, such as eBird.