I am very pleased to share the news that the team we are part of, ETH BiodivX, led by three ETH Zurich scientists, has been awarded the prize for the best innovative use of technology in this prestigious competition! The prize also recognises the work we have done with indigenous communities, involving them in the team and working with them to build our reference database. Personally, I feel really fulfilled and for that I also thank my university and all of you!
– Dr Andrea Desiderato, scientist from the faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection
ETH BiodivX, one of six teams to qualify for the XPRIZE Rainforest final, has significantly simplified and expanded the range of technologies for studying rainforest biodiversity. These include, among other things:
- remote sensing using satellites and drones
- probes lowered from drones to collect eDNA samples from the water surface,
- special “rafts” placed in treetops using drones, equipped with light and sticky traps, a camera to take pictures of insects and the surrounding treetop
- audio sensors to record bioacoustic data.
The team members, thanks to combining their expertise in robotics and environmental DNA (eDNA), have developed a method to automate the entire biodiversity monitoring process, at the same time minimising human interference in protected ecosystems. For example, over the past three years, the team has cooperated with Zurich Zoo, where they have conducted weekly field tests in the humid Masoala rainforest biome to optimise remote sensing and drone sampling.
The ETH BiodivX team ETH Zurich received the award for developing and implementing innovative, autonomous technologies that enable near-real-time biodiversity information, and for their contribution to the development of indigenous peoples and local communities as caretakers of tropical rainforests. The proceeds from the award will be used, at least in part, to develop technologies for monitoring biodiversity and support local communities.
The XPRIZE Rainforest, which was announced ahead of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, is a global, 5-year competition to enhance our understanding of the rainforest ecosystem with a total prize pool of $10 million. Innovators and experts across disciplines – conservationists and Indigenous scientists to engineers and roboticists – took part in it. They were to use novel technologies to expedite the monitoring of tropical biodiversity. The teams of scientists had to develop novel technologies to rapidly and comprehensively study rainforest biodiversity and use that data to improve our understanding of this complex ecosystem to benefit both biodiversity and forest communities. For the finals testing, teams had to survey 100 hectares of tropical rainforest in 24 hours and produce the most impactful real-time insights within 48 hours.
Source: ETH Zurich
Edit: Communications and PR Centre, University of Lodz