Ocean Park Hong Kong‘s conservation foundation is working with scientists to protect local horseshoe crabs using drones and artificial intelligence (AI).
Via a report in the South China Morning Post, the local population of endangered horseshoe crabs has declined by 90 percent.
“Over the years, Ocean Park has been using its technology to enrich wildlife preservation for endangered species. We believe that by using AI technology, we can effectively and efficiently collect data on the number of local horseshoe crabs,” said Howard Chuk Hau-chung, director of the Ocean Park Conservation Foundation.
Professor Cheung Siu-gin from the City University of Hong Kong’s chemistry department said: “Horseshoe crabs are living fossils and have great evolutionary significance.
“There are now less than 10,000 juvenile horseshoe crabs remaining in Hong Kong. The population has decreased by 90 per cent over the years, and we don’t see any signs of recovery as of recently.”
As part of the trial initiative, researchers are monitoring mudflat areas and sending out drones to take images of the coastal wetlands.
These images then go to a laboratory, with AI software that can detect small objects used to identify the number of horseshoe crabs.
Foundation director Chuk said: “Having the correct population figures and data ensures lawmakers can make effective policies to preserve the population of these species.”
Conservation efforts in Hong Kong
Chen Xi, a research assistant professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and part of the project team, said: “What used to be an hour of collecting data by eye and counting the crabs one by one can easily be done in a few minutes with unmanned drones.”
The AI system, he said, can accurately distinguish horseshoe crabs from other small objects in the mudflat areas.
“It’s difficult to do so with the human eye because the colour of the crabs blend in with its surroundings,” he said.
Today, 20 June, is the fourth International Horseshoe Crab Day, declared by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
