Australian technologies help protect endangered species in Vietnam

Tram Chim National Park in Dong Thap is an extremely diverse ecosystem of more than 130 fish species and 230 bird groups, including the iconic Sarus cranes which are listed as endangered on the Red List. However, due to resource and technology limitations, it has been difficult for the national park to collect data, and monitor and evaluate the impact of management interventions.

To meet these challenges, the Australian Government’s #Aus4Innovation program has supported a collaboration of between the University of Wollongong in Australia and the Ho Chi Minh University of Technology to transform Tram Chim’s environmental management system. Australian and Vietnamese scientists are working together to utilise a diverse range of Internet-of-Things devices to survey large areas in the park on a regular basis. The large volume of data collected will then be processed thanks to the application of artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies to give real-time insights into the park’s ecosystem health, protecting not only species’ wellbeing but also improving water monitoring and fire warning systems.

What a remarkable technological collaboration to protect our ecosystem!