AI turns human-wildlife conflict into 'human-wildlife coexistence' in northern Pakistan

Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has reduced the human-wildlife conflict in recent years, which was one of the key reasons for a gradual decline in the population of endangered snow leopards in northern Pakistan.

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Pakistan installed AI-based trail cameras in 2022 at strategic locations in the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region, which borders neighboring China and is home to the rare leopard species, which has turned the human-wildlife conflict into “human-wildlife coexistence.”

This recent technology has significantly reduced snow leopard (Panthera uncia) attacks on livestock, a key factor behind human-leopard conflict, at the targeted sites, the WWF said on the occasion of the World Snow Leopard Day on Wednesday.

The development coincided with the saving of a herd of about 60 elephants crossing the railway tracks in northeastern Assam state of India last week through AI.

The AI-based intrusion detection system (IDS) alerted the loco pilots of the train about the herd of elephants crossing the tracks, propelling them to apply the brakes.

In the past, several snow leopards have been killed by local communities in retaliation for their attacks on the livestock.

In addition to this threat, poaching, illegal hunting, and habitat loss resulting from adverse climate change impacts, also endanger the snow leopard population across its habitat range in Central and South Asia, according to the WWF.

In collaboration with the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), the WWF developed and installed five AI-based camera traps at strategic locations where snow leopard depredations were reported by the representatives of the local communities.

These cameras detect the presence of snow leopards in the surroundings, transfer the data to a centralized system, and generate alerts for members of local communities about the predator.

- AI and symbiotic relationship

As a result, local communities safeguard their livestock either grazing in the fields or being kept in the household. The technology has significantly reduced the attacks of snow leopards on livestock turning human-snow leopard conflicts into a symbiotic relationship.

Livestock depredation by snow leopards is a major cause of human-wildlife conflict in various valleys in three landscapes such as Karakoram-Pamir, Hindu Kush, and Himalaya in Pakistan, Hammad Naqi Khan, director general WWF-Pakistan, said in a statement.

This existential threat, he added, has undermined conservation efforts and halted progress to achieve desired outcomes.

“The use of AI technology is vital not only for the protection of the endangered snow leopard population, but it safeguards the livestock," maintained Khan.

This has led to the improvement in the declining population of snow leopards and has reduced the economic losses born by the livestock herders at the project sites, Khan added, proposing that this technology could be replicated for other wild species, which are threatened by human retaliation.

- Balance between infrastructure development and wildlife conservation

A WWF study released in April 2024 recommended that there is a need to strike a balance between boosting infrastructure development and conservation of threatened wildlife such as snow leopards in the region.

The study pointed out that the linear infrastructure development, which cuts through the landscape such as roads and railways, has fragmented the snow leopard habitat.

It found that although linear infrastructure improves national and regional economies, it restricts wildlife movement and poses threats to snow leopards and their prey species such as ungulates.

Various studies indicate that snow leopard is an elusive animal, hence it is difficult to record its exact population in the distribution range across Central and South Asia.

However, WWF research indicates that fewer than 7,000 snow leopards live in the world, of which approximately 200 to 420 individuals inhabit the northern mountain ranges of Pakistan, including the GB region, northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.