AI and Insect Tracking: A New Approach to Biodiversity Monitoring

Researchers in Canada have developed an AI-powered project to monitor insect populations, aiming to combat rapid species decline globally.

The Montreal Insectarium has unveiled ‘Antenna‘, an innovative project utilising artificial intelligence (AI) to address the accelerating decline of insect populations worldwide. This decline, described by Maxim Larrivee, director of the Montreal Insectarium, is happening a thousand times faster than previous mass extinctions. “Of all the mass extinctions we have experienced in the past, the one affecting insects is happening a thousand times faster,” said Larrivee. He believes AI-based monitoring could provide the data required to effectively counteract this unprecedented loss.

The core of Antenna is a combination of high-resolution cameras, solar-powered camera traps, and low-cost sensors that capture photographs of insects in their natural habitats every 10 seconds. These traps, spanning from the Canadian Arctic to Panamanian rainforests, help gather continuous data on insects attracted to UV lights. Larrivee explains that the aim is to double the amount of biodiversity data collected over the last century within the next two to five years. “Even for us, it sounds like science fiction,” he said.

Better data on the extent and nature of insect losses could help guide government actions and environmental strategies, allowing better decisions to restore dwindling insect populations. Larrivee highlights that improved information collection might mean that “decision-making tools for governments and environmentalists” could finally be developed to enact meaningful policies to restore biodiversity.

AI Meets Ecology: Global Applications

The Antenna project is not the only initiative seeking to harness AI to improve ecological monitoring. Other projects have already proven the immense potential of combining AI and camera technology to advance scientific research. For instance, the ‘Conservation AI‘ platform uses camera traps and AI models to help track endangered wildlife in real-time across habitats in the UK and globally, enhancing targeted conservation actions. In another notable project, researchers in Australia are utilising AI to identify coral health through underwater camera feeds, giving marine biologists much-needed insight into the fragile coral ecosystem.

David Rolnick, a biodiversity specialist at the Quebec AI Institute and co-researcher on Antenna, hopes to document some of the estimated 90 percent of insect species that remain undocumented. Rolnick commented on the platform’s success in field tests in Panama, revealing that “within a week, we found 300 new species. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.” Such examples show how AI tools could revolutionise scientific understanding by capturing biodiversity that has so far evaded conventional methods.

The Montreal team is currently focusing its efforts on moth species, which represent a particularly diverse group with over 160,000 documented species globally. As moths occupy a key role in ecosystems, understanding them can yield broader insights into ecological health. “This is the next frontier for biodiversity monitoring,” noted Rolnick.

Beyond Data: Public Engagement

The researchers in Montreal have also ensured that their work goes beyond just data collection. A central component of the Antenna project involves public education. Within the Insectarium’s vivarium, visitors can engage directly with the insect research through a custom-designed app that identifies butterflies based on photos they take in real time. This app aims to raise public awareness and increase understanding of insect diversity among non-specialists. Julie Jodoin, director of Espace Pour La Vie, which oversees the Insectarium, believes that such initiatives are essential to driving behavioural changes among the public: “If we don’t know nature, we can’t ask citizens to change their behaviour.”

The convergence of public education and scientific research not only brings greater awareness but also opens possibilities for the general public to contribute to biodiversity monitoring. The open-source AI model used in Antenna is designed to be accessible to anyone, encouraging citizens to participate and enrich the platform with their own observations, contributing to conservation in a meaningful way.

While there is much hope riding on AI to document and eventually help prevent the collapse of insect populations, some have also voiced caution. French tourist Camille Clement remarked that she supported using AI to protect ecology, as long as it was used “meticulously”. Such balanced views highlight the need for careful deployment of technology, ensuring that innovations do not inadvertently cause harm to the very ecosystems they aim to protect.

The Antenna project and similar initiatives show a clear trend towards leveraging the precision of AI in conservation efforts, from tracking pollinator populations to documenting previously unknown species. As these technologies continue to develop, the potential to reverse biodiversity loss appears more tangible, providing some hope for researchers and ecologists working against the clock to safeguard the world’s ecosystems.