Hawksbill turtles are killed for their scales, which are then used to make illegally traded pottery, jewelry and other items. Developed by a team of conservation biologists, SEE Shell will make it possible to combat this illegal trade more effectively. decoding.
illegal trade
Brad Nahil is an American biologist. He is also one of the founders of the association see turtles, to protect sea turtles in Latin America. With his team, he designed an application called the SEE shell: it recognizes among the commercial objects those made from tortoiseshell. Their sale is virtually banned, and poaching of hawksbill turtles could lead to their disappearance: At least nine million could have been killed between 1884 and 1992, reassuring their scales. National GeographicThere are now less than 25,000 breeding females in the world.
Artificial intelligence, a new tool for conservation?
How does the SEE shell work? The app uses machine learning technology that allows it to analyze the image. In practice, it determines with 94% accuracy whether an object with a tortoiseshell pattern is real or fake. While Nahil’s team is trained enough to tell the difference with the naked eye, first-time buyers are not. Thanks to this tool, they will now be able to buy conscientiously. Thus, the app makes it possible to trigger an alert on illegal trade by engaging responsible consumers and law enforcement. This collaborative database is expected to help in understanding trading patterns around the world.
“If we encourage a few hundred travelers to actively use it, collect data and avoid buying real tortoiseshells, that’s great.”
Brad Nahill for National Geographic
A technology that could see its scope expand in the field of wildlife conservation. It can allow, for example, to identify ivory.
Are nature and technology irreconcilable? Does not seem to!
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