It’s incredible to think of all the different uses for GPS tracking today. Such a relatively new technology has revolutionized and aided so many aspects of our every day lives. We use apps that rely on the GPS technology in our devices, and emergency response teams use it to organize the fastest routes to help save lives. Another very cool way this technology is used is in wildlife research and conservation efforts. A current study hopes to help better understand the sensitive caribou population and their habitat.
Caribou and their forest habitats are in rapid decline in Alberta. Some herds are expected to die out within a generation if something isn’t done to intervene. One of the major hang-ups in aiding caribou recover their population is that they are notoriously adverse to human disturbance. Research shows that these animals will avoid even the slightest disturbance of their environment, including a narrow dirt path, by 500 meters. “We’re going to let the animals tell us when they’re no longer disturbed,” biologist and research supervisor Gordon Stenhouse said.
Carabou will be tracked with GPS collars. “We have all this incredibly detailed GPS data,” added Stenhouse. “We get a reading from them every hour as to where they are on the landscape.” In order to get an idea of how the animals are interacting with their environment, the area will be monitored with cameras on the ground, as well as high-tech laser imaging from space, called lidar. “You can measure tree heights. You can look at vegetation,” he said. “It helps us to understand how the vegetation is different on different lines.”
“The results of this work will probably be used to understand species at risk, their habitat needs and how resource development extraction may impact the needs of wildlife habitat,” Stenhouse said. “When we understand better what the animals do on recovered habitat, then we can better focus on restoration efforts.”
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GPS Technology Used in Canadian Forest Restoration Study
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