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Ecosystems

The Great Wildebeest Migration: Satellites and AI Monitor Africa's Wildlife

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Great Wildebeest Migration in Africa is one of the most remarkable natural spectacles, with immense herds of wildebeest traveling 800-1,000km between Tanzania and Kenya in search of fresh grazing. This circular journey feeds predators, fertilizes the land, and sustains the grasslands, supporting countless other species and human livelihoods. However, estimating the population size of this ecosystem has been a challenge, with traditional aerial surveys limited by their coverage and accuracy. Recent research has leveraged satellite imagery and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor the wildebeest population, offering a new perspective on seasonal population dynamics.

Key Takeaways:

  • Satellite monitoring using AI can accurately detect and estimate the population of wildebeest in the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.
  • A recent study used satellite imagery from 2022 and 2023 to estimate a population of fewer than 600,000 wildebeest within the dry-season range.
  • The satellite-based census offers a complementary perspective on seasonal population dynamics, rather than replacing aerial surveys.
  • The approach is scalable to monitor other species and ecosystems, with high-resolution satellites capable of imaging at less than 50cm allowing for real-time monitoring.
  • The use of satellites and AI can explore the basic physics that shape collective movement at scale, uncovering the mechanisms of collective organisation in animal groups.

Statistics:

  • Over 4,000km² of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem was analyzed using satellite imagery.
  • The satellite imagery had a very high spatial resolution of 33-60cm per pixel.
  • Wildebeest were represented by fewer than nine pixels in the imagery.
  • The study used two complementary deep learning models: a pixel-based U-Net and an object-based YOLO model.
  • The estimated population of wildebeest was fewer than 600,000 within the dry-season range.
  • The study covered a period of two years (2022 and 2023).

Sources:

  • The Conversation -- Africa (2)
  • Isla C. Duporge, British--French zoologist and Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Princeton University
  • The great wildebeest migration, seen from space: satellites and AI are helping count Africa's wildlife -- https://theconversation.com/the-great-wildebeest-migration-seen-from-space-satellites-and-ai-are-helping-count-africas-wildlife-266308
  • National Academy of Sciences (NAS)
  • Daniel Rubenstein, David Macdonald, and Tiejun Wang

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