Pioneering Conservation Technology
We joined forces with two local companies OceanLabs Seychelles and Kingsgate Electronics to pioneer locally-made, cutting-edge conservation technology.
Project: Next-Gen Conservation: Applying and sharing lessons in the use of technology and digital-based solutions for island and coastal conservation management challenges in the Western Indian Ocean (Seychelles).
This project is part of a global initiative by Huawei and IUCN called Tech4Nature, which aims at harnessing new and innovative technologies in support of better conservation outcomes in and around protected and conserved areas.
The project sought to improve digital connectivity on Cousin Island Special Reserve, and to develop and roll out specific tech-driven activities to scale up conservation of sea turtles, coral reefs, and endemic bird monitoring.
With this support of Huawei and IUCN, and under the scope of the Smart Island System series of projects, for the benefit of the local terrestrial and marine life, we undertook the following;
The development of the NEST (Nest Electronic Surveillance of Turtles) and the Diver Reef Evaluation Assisted Monitoring (DREAM) devices with local tech company OceanLabs Seychelles.
NEST monitors and transmits Hawksbill turtle nest environmental data (temperature, humidity, and oxygen). Research suggests that all three factors have an impact on incubation length, hatchling sex, embryo survival, and other physical characteristics of sea turtles. There is, however, not much research on these conditions within natural turtle nests, such as those on Cousin, one of the most important rookeries for Hawksbill turtle nesting in the western Indian Ocean. The device is also meant to help detect movement inside the nest, which could indicate a disturbance or a hatching event. Scientists can predict when eggs will hatch. But this can vary throughout the nesting season and is labour-intensive. NEST addresses this challenge. This also included the deployment of The a LoRa network to support the device. The data it collects is automatically sent via the LoRa network to a database, which can be accessed via a web portal.
DREAM is a self-contained, fully automated sensor platform for the monitoring of sea water parameters for Nature Seychelles’ coral reef restoration project. This is device attaches onto a diver’s oxygen tank which houses an array of sensors that measure ambient temperature, ambient light levels, dissolved oxygen levels, ambient seawater acidity, depth as well as locations of ingress and egress. The device automatically connects to the IP network and uploads the data collected after a dive to a web application where it is then displayed on a dashboard. This enables the divers to collect data on the ambient conditions without distracting them from their actual tasks as coral restorers. They are provided with greater insights into the conditions in and around the coral nursery.
The Special Reserves’ internet connectivity has been upgraded through a microwave datalink with the CORAL office on Praslin to support ecotourism, research, and conservation activities. This has been implemented with the help of another local company, Kingsgate Electronics. This serves to provide Cousin Island with Wi-fi capabilities where previously it was not possible due to its distance from the mainland. The IP network will facilitate the island’s team who live and work on Cousin to carry out their conservation work and also allow for the implementation of new services, such as streaming to allow next-gen tourism.
To further bolster the systems reliability and to power the nature reserve with green energy, solar energy systems were installed both on Praslin and Cousin.
