Furthering its foray into the domain of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for forest conservation, the Forest department has piloted an identification tool for an invertebrate faunal survey in Mankulam forest division in Idukki.
Developed by the Government Engineering College, Idukki, the AI-based application enabled easy identification of known species of butterflies with a high level of accuracy that relies on a robust image database.
The three-day exercise was conducted recently in association with Thiruvananthapuram-based conservation organisation Travancore Nature History Society (TNHS) to prepare a faunal inventory of the biodiversity-rich Mankulam reserve forests that covers the geographical segment of Lower Periyar Valley to the high ranges of Munnar covering an elevation range of 300-2,600 m.
“The faunal survey is part of a series that is planned to map the diversity of the Mankulam reserve. It will pave the way for creating an AI-based application that can efficiently identify fauna,” Mankulam divisional forest officer Subhash K.B. said.
Camera system
Led by S. Santhosh Kumar, the head of the Electronics and Communication Engineering department at the college, the app developers included Asha J., Viji R., Gijy P.G., Suresh K. and Rishidas S. The college had earlier developed an AI-enabled surveillance camera system to detect the presence of wild animals on forest fringe areas in Mankulam.
According to Professor Kumar, the application database of its beta version comprised the images of 265 butterfly species that were recorded in the reserve forests previously. While its cache of macro photographs taken from various angles facilitates accurate profiling, the tool also provides suggestions in cases of species that closely resemble others despite having varying traits.
Expanding database
The developers have set their sights on expanding the application’s database by including the profiles of all of the 326 butterfly species discovered in Kerala and at a later stage, odonate species. The tool, which will soon be available in the public domain, is also envisaged to popularise butterfly watching and nature conservation.
TNHS research associate Kalesh Sadasivan pointed out the survey recorded 180 butterfly species as Mankulam’s butterfly population rose from 265 to 270. The number of Western Ghats endemic species from the region is now 29.
The interesting records included Malabar Rose, Malabar banded swallowtail, Sahyadri grass yellow, Sahyadri albatross, Travancore evening brown, red-disc bushbrown, Palni four-ring, Nilgiri tiger, white-disc hedge blue, Malabar banded peacock and one-spot grass yellow.
The survey also noted the presence of 54 odonate species, 25 ant species, four cicada species and several endemic birds.
