AI in nature conservation: powerful tool or dangerous shortcut?

https://theconversation.com/ai-in-nature-conservation-powerful-tool-or-dangerous-shortcut-283718

Publish Date: 2026-06-09 09:24:00

Conservationists analyse overwhelming volumes of ecological data in their work. For example, they might need to process decades of weather data or the movements of millions of insects. Up until now, these scientists and decision makers have had to manually find and sort information, then use statistical tools which often oversimplify the source information.

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools now promise to help with all that. But can they deliver on the promise?

They are far from perfect. It’s been shown that they can confidently make up information and amplify hidden biases in their training data. And different AI tools have different uses, strengths and weaknesses. They need to be chosen carefully.

AI featured among the top 10 emerging issues in biodiversity conservation in South Africa in a recent horizon scan that we undertook. As part of a group of 14 experts in biodiversity conservation, we drew on discussions within our diverse professional networks, literature and news trends to identify issues likely to emerge and intensify over the next 5-10 years.

The issues fell into three main groups: technological disruption; regulatory complexity; and infrastructure impacts.

Among them, AI featured as both an opportunity and a risk for future biodiversity conservation.

AI opportunities

Our scan brought to the surface the power and pitfalls of AI in the kind of work we do.

One potential use of AI is in tracking. Tracking animals and insects at scale is essential for conservation decisions. Birds and whales migrate across the planet every year, and insect numbers change through the seasons in the billions. Image recognition AI can process camera trap data to help populate databases such as Wildlife Insights and provide information about animal behaviour to help predict the impacts of global processes like climate change and industrial development on biodiversity.

Mass monitoring also records people sharing those landscapes with animals. This…

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