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Poaching is spiraling out of control. As it threatens Earth's biodiversity, poachers disrupt ecosystems in ways that we still can't fully comprehend. Resources are being stretched thin in the battle against these criminals. To combat these dangers, conservationists must adopt innovative approaches.
Some conservationists leave cell phones in the forest to catch illegal loggers, while others make rhino horns glow pink with poison. Then there’s EAGLE, the only environmental group that takes down wrongdoers with a style reminiscent of James Bond. Okay, maybe not exactly like 007, but they’re still pretty awesome.
10. Conserving Water Through Artistic Expression
Luxury living often comes at the cost of environmental harm. However, a few years ago, design student Simin Qiu demonstrated that faucets can be both elegant and eco-friendly. While the faucet itself is stylish, the real showstopper is the water. When it flows, it resembles glass with intricate patterns.
Qiu accomplished this by channeling the water through a double turbine and nozzles designed to create various patterns. The faucet also reduces water flow by 15%. Given the high frequency with which faucets are used daily, this feature saves a significant amount of water. Furthermore, the award-winning “Swirl Faucet” maintains a steady temperature, helping to reduce unnecessary heating costs.
9. Protecting Lions by Painting Cows
Antelopes are fast. Lions and cows, not so much. Because of this, the big cats are increasingly eyeing cows as their next meal. However, farmers aren't having it. They shoot any lions that kill livestock, or even any lion they spot. The issue with this approach is that wild African lions are endangered.
In 2015, a moment of crisis sparked creativity. Conservationists began painting cow rumps.
Their inspiration came from two observations. First, lions are ambush predators who often abandon a hunt when they realize their cover has been compromised. Second, butterflies have wing patterns that mimic eyes to create the illusion that they’re aware of potential threats.
A study in Botswana showed that these “butterfly eyes” could potentially deter lions from attacking. A group of 62 cattle was observed for 10 weeks. A third of them had fake eyes painted on their behinds, staring out at the world. Over the study period, three cows were killed, but none of them were the ones with the painted eyes.
8. Enlisting Grandmothers to Track Dangerous Snakes
In New Caledonia, tourists flock to swim near the city of Noumea. The bay is also home to sea snakes. Scientists wanted to learn more about these creatures in order to protect both them and humans from potential danger.
After 15 years of studying various species, the attention shifted to one particularly dangerous creature. The greater sea snake, a 1.5-meter (4.9 ft) ribbon of venom, became the new focus. The survey results were encouraging, with only about 10 snakes spotted each year. However, those numbers changed dramatically when a group of senior snorkelers learned about the project.
The seven women, all in their sixties and seventies, were regular swimmers at the bay. They volunteered to photograph any greater sea snake they encountered. After receiving approval, the grandmothers swam alongside the reptiles for years, making remarkable contributions to the study.
The seniors documented previously unknown breeding behaviors and captured images of hundreds of toxic snakes. This large population disproved the myth that the species was aggressive. Despite the many swimmers in the area, no one has ever been bitten by one.
7. Hunting Fish With a Fish of a Different Kind
This stalker isn’t your typical fish. Swimming through the waters off Fiji, it mingles with schools of fish that can’t tell the difference. Known as SoFi—or more affectionately, the Soft Robotic Fish—this robot is the ultimate underwater imitator.
Developed by MIT, SoFi was designed to observe fish without causing any disturbance. As pollution and overfishing continue to ravage the oceans, time is running out to gather vital information on endangered species. But a scuba diver with a notepad simply won’t get close enough to study the fish. This is where SoFi comes in.
This lifelike robot is capable of recording videos of natural behavior, which typically doesn’t occur when humans are present. Beyond observing the reef's fish, SoFi also provides an accurate assessment of the health of the marine ecosystem. In fact, SoFi is doing such a great job that one day, fleets of these robotic fish might help monitor the ocean's overall well-being.
6. Creating a Monster Jungle from Orange Peels
In the 1990s, scientists from Princeton approached a fruit company with the goal of making the land more fertile. They partnered with Del Oro, a juice company in Costa Rica. If Del Oro agreed to donate part of its land to a nearby reserve, they could use it as a free dumping ground for their orange peels. The company agreed.
Del Oro disposed of 12,000 tons of orange peels before a competitor intervened. TicoFruit argued that the reserve was being polluted, and Costa Rica's Supreme Court agreed. It didn’t seem to matter that the soil was so barren it couldn’t be defiled, even by Del Oro’s waste. When the ruling came down, the experiment came to an abrupt end.
In 2013, a Princeton scientist visiting Costa Rica for other purposes decided to check on the disposal site. What he discovered was astonishing. The soil had transformed into an incredibly fertile ground. He couldn’t find the large sign marking the site because it was completely overrun by vines. (The sign was eventually found years after his visit.)
The once barren land had now become a thriving jungle. One fig tree was so massive that it took three people holding hands to encircle its trunk.
No one had anticipated such dramatic success. What was even more baffling was how quickly the humble orange peel had worked its magic. Del Oro had only dumped waste for two years before leaving the site undisturbed for 16 years. The rapid transformation was a mystery—and likely the most environmentally friendly pollution in history.
5. Getting Cows to Burp Seaweed
Cows are releasing huge amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, as part of their natural digestive process. They eat food, regurgitate it, chew it again, and then swallow it. Unfortunately, cows burp repeatedly every day, and with so many cattle around the world, that means a lot of methane is released into the atmosphere.
When a cow eats, an enzyme in their stomach produces methane. After experimenting with different methods, researchers discovered that adding seaweed slowed down the enzyme's activity. This was a positive result because a less active enzyme produced significantly less methane.
One of the most significant reductions in methane emissions occurred when scientists added just 2 percent of seaweed (specifically, Asparagopsis taxiformis) to the cows' regular diet. Although they still regurgitated their food to chew it, they did so less frequently, and methane emissions dropped by an astonishing 99 percent.
4. Tracking Poachers Like Foxes
Kruger National Park stands as South Africa's premier reserve, but unfortunately, many rhinos are poached within its boundaries or the nearby game farms. In the past, tracker dogs were employed, but their leads slowed down the pursuit, and many poachers managed to escape.
Then the staff heard about coonhounds from Texas. This breed had been trained for generations to chase down escaped prisoners in packs, catching them like foxes. The South Africans were intrigued by the idea of dogs running free, but they were concerned about their aggressive nature. A demonstration resulted in a volunteer getting badly bruised despite being heavily padded.
The Texans agreed to retrain some of their best dogs not to bite. Once they had done so, the pack was flown to South Africa. Hardly had they landed when a report came in of a rhino being killed.
The dogs were deployed from helicopters and immediately began apprehending poachers. The following day, they captured more, and the day after that, two additional poachers were caught. Since their arrival, the coonhounds have successfully apprehended 54 percent of poachers entering the park, a significant improvement from the previous 3 percent.
3. Going Undercover Like Nobody’s Business
The EAGLE Network is an environmental organization, but they go about things quite differently. Rather than protesting or campaigning, they have no interest in creating sanctuaries, educating the masses, or adjusting policies. Their sole focus is on law enforcement, making EAGLE the world’s only non-governmental enforcement agency.
EAGLE specializes in undercover operations and gathering intelligence. In 2015, they successfully brought down Ansoumane Doumbouya, Guinea’s leading wildlife official. For years, he had been illegally selling the very animals he was assigned to protect, particularly great apes.
Undercover operatives posing as buyers meticulously built the case. As a result, Interpol and Guinean authorities gathered enough evidence to arrest Doumbouya. This was a significant victory, as it is estimated that up to 3,000 of Guinea’s wild apes are trafficked annually.
The rampant trafficking of primates from the country is largely driven by corruption. Taking down a powerful figure like Doumbouya marked a crucial step forward. And for EAGLE, it wasn’t the first step—this group has led to over 1,000 arrests worldwide.
2. Serving Up Poisoned Rhino Horns
Some rhinos in South Africa have horns that are pink in color. When poachers spot these, they immediately know that the horn is contaminated. Every year, rhinos are ruthlessly killed in large numbers to meet the demand for traditional Eastern medicine. However, a spice that induces vomiting, diarrhea, and severe stomach pain can turn customers away. These are the effects caused by consuming pink rhino horns.
In 2013, wildlife authorities made a purchase at a local store. They bought tick repellent dip and mixed it with pink dye. The resulting poison was then injected into the horns of 100 rhinos.
This initiative was entirely legal. The organizers made sure to keep poachers and buyers fully aware of the plan by launching a public awareness campaign. Reserves also put up warning signs around their fences. The pink toxin is detectable by airport scanners, even if the horn has already been ground into powder.
1. Leaving Cell Phones In The Forest To Catch Loggers
Illegal loggers are quick and, at times, armed. In areas where local rangers lack the resources or are too intimidated to confront the situation, there's now an innovative way to catch these criminals. Topher White, a conservation technologist, has devised a system where old cell phones and AI software are installed in treetops to monitor the area.
White's nonprofit organization, Rainforest Connection, based in California, operates with an annual budget exceeding $1 million, supported by affluent backers such as Google and Huawei. By 2019, his systems were installed in multiple countries, covering an impressive 2,590 square kilometers (1,000 square miles) of forest.
The modified cell phones are designed to detect sounds from up to 1.6 kilometers (1 mile) away. The software processes the sound in real time, searching for logging-related noises. When it identifies sounds like trucks, chainsaws, or cracking trees, an alert is sent to authorities immediately through an app.
This swift action has proven effective. Recently, a notorious pair of Peruvian loggers were apprehended. In Sumatra, the pace of illegal deforestation slowed significantly after Rainforest Connection deployed their tree-mounted devices across an island that had been severely impacted.
