Conservation through Coding: 5 Questions with Viral Shah

Tuesday, March 5, 2019 - 03:52 in Biology & Nature

Earth’s human population—which now surpasses 7.5 billion—continues to grow, with the scale of our towns and cities following suit. As our communities grow, the habitats of our fellow creatures—animals like tigers, elephants and even squirrels—are shrinking. Despite protected areas, it is now more difficult for animals around the globe to move between habitats in search of food and mates, escape disease and, increasingly, escape the harsh realities of climate change on their homes. So how can we ensure animals are able to pass between habitats as our urban environments spread? Through computer science, which is the source of some of the most effective current conservation efforts. One such tool is Circuitscape, which uses algorithms from electrical circuit theory and NASA satellite imagery to model animal movement across landscapes the way electrical currents move through circuits. The tool is used in NASA Ecoforecasting projects and by conservationists and land managers across the globe. One of the...

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