Case Study

Empowering Park Managers with Tech4Nature: Enhancing Species Impact Monitoring in Sant Llorenç del Munt i l’Obac Natural Park

Contact name

Daniel Pons i Julià

Institution name

Diputació de Barcelona / Huawei Spain / International Union for Conservation of Nature - Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN-Med)

Region & country

Catalonia, Spain

Summary

Tech4Nature, a global initiative by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Huawei’s TECH4ALL program, leverages innovative technology for the conservation of protected areas. In Spain’s Sant Llorenç del Munt i l’Obac Natural Park, the project addresses the challenge of balancing visitor influx with the conservation of the endangered Bonelli’s eagle (Aquila fasciata). By deploying solar-powered cameras and GPS trackers, and AI-based software, the project monitors both visitor distribution and the eagles’ movements, enabling park staff to respond swiftly to potential threats.

Bonelli's eagle

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Bonelli's eagle

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Bonelli's eagle

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Background of the project

The increase in outdoor recreation in natural areas has escalated pressure on ecologically and culturally significant areas. In Sant Llorenç del Munt i l’Obac Natural Park, two tracks near Bonelli’s eagle nest area were frequently accessed, but no monitoring linked visitor frequency to species behaviour.
The park was already tracking Bonelli’s eagles, but faced challenges during the juvenile dispersal period due to limited data on recolonisation, which could be solved with GPS transmitters.

Real-time visitor tracking: The need to monitor the number of visitors in real time to manage the park’s capacity and ensure the protection of sensitive areas.
Understanding spatial-temporal mobility: The need to analyse how visitors move over time and space, helping to identify patterns and potential areas of concern.
Monitoring wildlife impact: The need to assess how public use affects species sensitive to human presence (in this case, Bonelli’s eagles), to inform conservation strategies.

Solution and actions taken

– Automatic counters for real-time visitor tracking and better management of and further installation of sensors.
– Frequency detection system to help monitor visitor density, useful for planning and improving the visitor experience.
– Visitor mobility tracking using location data from social media and apps, especially at points of high visitation frequency.
– Acoustic sensors to analyse anthropogenic vs. natural sounds to inform adaptive management.

The technological architecture uses three cameras with microphones (one on the nest and two on nearby trails) and GPS trackers on the Bonelli’s eagles, all solar-powered.
Visitor metrics are analysed with Axis Station software, while GPS data is downloaded to the Move Bank Platform. Data transmission uses microwaves to a nearby council building.
An alert system and protocol were developed for issues like possible mortality, expulsion, data loss, low battery and prolonged absence of adult eagles.

Other institutions or parties involved

Diputació de Barcelona selected Sant Llorenç del Munt i l’Obac Natural Park as the project’s pilot site. The park staff received support from Miranatura and the group Parés & Bosch, with the former handling camera installation and the latter managing GPS trackers. The International Union for Conservation of Nature – Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN-Med) led project conceptualisation and development. Huawei Spain was both a key donor and partner in the project’s implementation.

Results

A new male eagle which colonised the nest was ringed and fitted with a GPS tracker. A high-resolution camera was installed at the nest, enabling better individual identification and the integration of IA for data analysis and alerts.

It allowed to:
– Confirm the Bonelli’s eagle’s low reproductive success.
– Enhanced understanding of the species’ behaviour and threats inside and outside the protected area.
– A better understanding of visitor use and infractions that can impact the species.

Challenges

The project faced several issues, namely:
– The death of the monitored male Bonelli’s eagle by electrocution prevented full nesting season monitoring.
– Achieving the integration of systems for automatisation proved challenging.
– There is a need for a wide range of expertise, which is hard to find, coordinate, and ensure long-term continuity.
– The solution is relatively costly (equipment, permits, human resources), requiring a stable funding mechanism.

Lessons learned

The need to:

– Identify and assess potential risks inherent to a wildlife monitoring project, and develop a contingency plan.
– Ensure the protected area has the technical and financial capacity to take ownership of the technology, including long-term partner collaboration.
– Align expectations among all partners and stakeholders from the outset to coordinate systems and teams and overcome legal-administrative and other considerations.

Contact name

Daniel Pons i Julià

Institution name

Diputació de Barcelona / Huawei Spain / International Union for Conservation of Nature - Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN-Med)

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