When animals go online
In Erich Kästner’s famous novel “The Animals’ Conference” elephants, lions, and buffalos took control to rectify human failures. Today, more than 75 years later, there’s a real-world “animals’ conference” – based on science and underpinned by technology: the Internet of Animals – a global network helping researchers around the world understand animal movements, protect eco-systems, and predict natural disasters. In “tomorrow” the inventor of that network, Martin Wikelski, explains how he and his team observe animals from outer space, thereby jointly protecting life on Earth.
The expert
Martin Wikelski is a German behavioral biologist and director at Max Planck Institute of Behavioral Biology in the Southern German town of Radolfzell on Lake Constance. He is regarded as one of the leading researchers of animal migration movements. Following his studies of biology in Germany and the United States, he was engaged in research at renowned institutions such as Princeton University. Wikelski has received numerous awards including the Order of Merit of the State of Baden-
Württemberg. His current book is titled “The Internet of Animals.” (ISBN: 9781771649599)
How does the technology behind ICARUS work?
“Animals are the best noses for changes in the world. Be it in serving nature or humans. The Romans, who used geese to warn them of attacks, already knew that.”
Martin Wikelski
What areas benefit from the Internet of Animals?
Nature conservation
By tracking threatened species protected areas can be shaped more effectively and poaching prevented.
Climate research
Animal movements provide valuable data about environmental changes and help improve climate models.
Early warning systems for natural disasters
When animals can communicate with humans, they can join us in fighting global spreading
Early detection of pandemics
When animals can communicate with humans, they can join us in fighting global spreading
“There are numerous animal species that may be carrying potentially essential information for the survival of humanity in and with them. We’re now beginning to understand the sixth sense of animals. We have around 30,000 to 35,000 tags, in other words real wearables for animals, out in the wild that transmit their data to our community database day in day out.”
The democratic vision of the ICARUS initiative
“The vision is easy to describe: summarizing the global information of the animals to learn and benefit from the collective knowledge of the animals. We want to democratize this information gain so that a farmer in Niger or a fisher on the Galápagos Islands can have the same information as a scientist in Europe. All people should have access to the wealth of animal information,” says Martin Wikelski, “then everyone can create their own warning or information systems via apps and algorithms.”
The key aspect of the initiative is that most people have recognized that animals must be protected, even if in many cases just out of self-interest. Wikelski: “Animals are of vital importance to humanity. We share the world with them and when animals are no longer doing well, we should take notice. The fate of the animals will ultimately be our fate too.”