The Belt and Road · Zero Distance | Science and Technology of Endangered Animal Guardian at Both Ends of a "Cloud" | Project | Endangered Animals

Xinhua News Agency, Guangzhou/Mexico City, August 28th - Endangered animal guardians at both ends of a "cloud"

Xinhua News Agency reporter Chen Yao, Wu Hao, Ma Xiaocheng

How far is China from Latin America? Residents of the Ziram National Nature Reserve in Mexico say that they are only a "cloud" away.

At both ends of this "cloud", Latin American technicians and environmentalists silently guard the endangered animals in Latin America and the homes of countless species.

The Ziram National Nature Reserve is lush with vegetation. "This is the territory of the Jaguar," said Juan Castillo, the leader of the Ziram community. The jaguar, also known as the jaguar, is the only surviving leopard animal in the local area. The local residents have always regarded the American tiger as a part of them.

This protected area covers an area of over 690 square kilometers, with over 590 species of flora and fauna thriving in this wetland.

However, due to illegal hunting, uncontrolled grazing, and illegal logging, as well as the impact of climate change, the ecosystem of the Qilam Nature Reserve has rapidly deteriorated in recent years, with nearly 80% of rainforest being destroyed and the habitats of many species rapidly shrinking. The jaguar is listed as a "near threatened species" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

To protect biodiversity, local communities and environmentalists hope to learn about the activity areas of threatened animals such as jaguars and are working hard to find their footprints.

In Chile, people are also eager to search for the footprints of other endangered animals.

The Navelvuta Mountains in Chile are one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. There are South American cedars over 2000 years old here, as well as an endangered animal - the Darwin fox.

Bernardo Reyes, founder of the Chilean environmental organization Forest Road, introduced that Darwin foxes are considered an umbrella species with high ecological conservation value, and their protection also helps to protect other species.

In the vast forest, whether it is the jaguar or the Darwin fox, they are often secretive and difficult to find, making it difficult for people to see them in their natural state. It is also difficult to monitor poaching and logging activities in real-time.

To pay attention to and protect endangered animals in their natural state, the "Technology Conservation of Nature" project has found the correct way to open it.

On the evening of August 17th local time, in Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, Huawei Mexico Public Relations and External Communication Manager Samira Herrera Perez and Huawei TECH4ALL Digital Inclusion Project Manager Zeng Ming had a video connection. Shen Jizhong

In Shenzhen, Zeng Ming, the project manager of Huawei TECH4ALL Digital Inclusion Project Office, received a video from the project department showing a jaguar leisurely walking. She looked at her watch and dialed the video call of Samira Herrera Perez, Huawei's Mexico Public Relations and External Communication Manager. They agreed to go through the next phase of the "Technology Defends Nature" project again.

In May 2022, the government of Yucatan State in Mexico, together with Huawei and the World Conservation Union, launched an artificial intelligence technology cooperation project called "Technology Defends Nature" in Mexico. The project uses the "Eye of Secrets" camera to continuously collect video data from the Ziram Nature Reserve on the Yucatan Peninsula around the clock. Using Huawei cloud technology and other technologies, video AI analysis is conducted in the cloud to monitor biodiversity indicators and study the impact of climate change and other factors on the ecosystem.

"This way, there is no need for personnel to frequently enter the protected area and there will be no disturbance to the protected area," said Regina Severa, coordinator of the "Science and Technology Conservation of Nature" project in Mexico. The staff will regularly retrieve the camera storage card and upload images and video files to Huawei Cloud for processing through Yucatan University of Technology.

Similar Chinese cloud technologies have been applied for many years in Chile and Costa Rica.

On August 18th, in Shenzhen, China, there was a video connection between Zeng Ming, the project manager of Huawei TECH4ALL Digital Inclusion Project Office, and Samira Herrera Perez, Huawei Mexico Public Relations and External Communication Manager. Shen Jizhong

In Chile, the "Technology Conservation of Nature" project not only identifies and studies the calls of different animals such as Darwin foxes, but also monitors the gunshots of poachers, the trucks and chainsaws of lumberjacks. Once identified, it will give a real-time alarm and push the location information to the local forest rangers' handheld machines, helping them quickly intervene on site.

"We provide online and offline training for the local area, and this solution greatly improves the work efficiency of the staff in the protected area." Zeng Ming said that using relevant technology to process tens of thousands of hours of audio and video, it only takes a few hours to capture the required content, and the average accuracy of the analysis is 96%.

"We dream of lifelong protection of jaguars, but we also worried that children would only be able to see jaguars in photos in the future," said Amelia Treho, a resident of the Ziram community. Thanks to the "Technology for Nature" project, "our dreams have come true.".

In the Chilam region of Mexico, from September 2022 to May 2023, the project successfully detected a total of 119 species, including 5 wild jaguar individuals, as well as 88 bird species, 22 mammals, 5 reptiles, and 4 amphibians. Among them, 34 species were listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Zeng Ming introduced that currently Huawei has launched "Technology Conservation of Nature" projects in 46 protected areas across 4 continents worldwide, using digital technology to protect representative local ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, and oceans. She expressed her hope to work together with more partners to "fully leverage the empowering role of technology and jointly protect our Earth home.".

The project of "science and technology protecting nature" is a part of the green "the Belt and Road" jointly built by China and Latin America, which has planted hope for a better future in the hearts of many people.

"I hope that in 30 or 50 years, this jungle will still have the same habitat as it does now, where animals have such habitats and life can continue and thrive on this land. I am optimistic and hopeful about the future," said Severa.