CONSERVATION TECHNOLOGY e-Library

A practical guide to technologies for wildlife conservation practitioners, developed by the Global Wildlife Program.

Find a technology that works for your context

Whether you're tackling poaching, managing human-wildlife conflict, monitoring wildlife populations, or addressing illegal trade, this e-Library brings together 22 tested technologies to help you find practical solutions for the field.

[Access the Conservation Tech e-Library →]

What's inside

A range of Technology Briefs organized into five themes:

Theme	What it covers
Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence	(New) Tools to reduce conflict and support communities living alongside wildlife
Poaching	Tools to detect, deter, and respond to poaching activity
Wildlife Trade	Technologies to identify and intercept illegal trade
Wildlife Demand	Approaches to monitor and reduce consumer demand
Wildlife Monitoring	Methods to track and assess wildlife populations

Who is this for?

This e-Library is designed for people working directly on conservation challenges:

Rangers and field staff looking for tools to support daily operations
Protected area managers and authorities evaluating technologies to deploy at scale
NGOs and conservationists seeking solutions to complement existing programs
Law enforcement exploring tools for wildlife crime detection and response
Community members and private operators finding approaches suited to non-protected area context

How to use it

Go to the e-Library and filter by:

Conservation issue: what problem are you trying to solve?
Location: protected area, buffer zone, customs point, online, or community land?
Implementer: who will use or operate the technology?
Or search by keyword for your specific context

Each Technology Brief covers what the tool does, where it has been used, who implements it, and how to find out more. If your search returns no results, remove one filter or click Show All.

[Access the Conservation Tech e-Library→]

A note on implementation

The most effective conservation outcomes come from combining the right technology with strong local knowledge, community engagement, and institutional support. Technology is one part of the solution, not the whole answer.

Before adopting a technology, it is worth asking a few practical questions: Is there reliable power or connectivity where it will be deployed? Who will operate and maintain it? What happens to the data, who owns it, and how will privacy and security be managed? And is there a sustainable funding plan beyond the initial investment? Use the e-Library as a starting point, then reach out to technology providers and partners to assess what is feasible in your specific context.

It is also important to recognise that some challenges, particularly in combating wildlife crime, require human judgement and local knowledge that no technology can replace. The e-Library is designed to support that work, not substitute for it. Tools work best when embedded in a broader strategy rather than treated as a standalone fix.

More from the Global Wildlife Program

GWP produces ongoing resources on conservation technology and related themes, including webinars, knowledge exchanges, and publications. Recent highlights include:

Tech is in Our Nature: Wildlife: panel discussion on conservation technology featuring experts from MIT, the Jane Goodall Institute, Conservation X Labs, the World Bank, and conservation practitioners from Belize
Guidance Note: Lessons Learned in Conservation Technology: Data Collection, Processing, and Management
Knowledge Exchange: Human-Wildlife Conflict Databases: exploring tech tools for HWC data
From Evidence to Action: What's Working in Wildlife Forensics?: knowledge exchange on forensic technologies in wildlife crime
The Inside Out of Wildlife Crime Linked to the Internet: GWP webinar on technology and wildlife cybercrime

Browse all GWP events and webinars at the GWP Events page, or explore the full Conservation Technology theme page for publications, videos, and more.

New to conservation technology?

If some of the terminology is unfamiliar, a [glossary of common terms] is available at the bottom of this page, covering everything from machine learning and LoRaWAN to infrared radiation and telemetry.

About the Global Wildlife Program

The GWP, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and led by the World Bank, works across 38 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean to combat wildlife crime, address unsustainable wildlife trade, manage human-wildlife conflict, and build wildlife-based economies. This e-Library was developed to share conservation technology options with GWP project stakeholders and the wider conservation community.

For questions or to recommend technology for inclusion: gwp-info@worldbank.org.

We thank WILDLABS.NET for their support in reaching technology partners, and all technology developers who contributed to this resource.

Further reading

Looking for a broader view of conservation technology?

The State of Conservation Technology Report (2023), WILDLABS.NET
World Wildlife Crime Report 2024, UNODC (new)
Conservation Technology, edited by Serge A. Wich and Alex K. Piel, available from Oxford University Press
Tackling Wildlife Cybercrime in the EU, WWF, 2020
Wildlife Trafficking Detection Tools, United for Wildlife, 2021
ICCWC Wildlife Crime Toolkit, International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (new)

Glossary of Terms

A glossary of technology-related terms can be found below.

Term	Definition
Acoustic Sensor / Bioacoustics	Devices that detect and record sound in the environment. In conservation, acoustic sensors are used to monitor wildlife populations through species-specific calls and to detect threats such as gunshots or chainsaws in real time.
Algorithm	A systematic procedure or formula for solving a problem, based on conducting a sequence of a finite number of steps, frequently involving the repetition of an operation.
Application Programming Interface (API)	Set of programming code that enables data transmission between one software product and another. It also contains the terms of this data exchange.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)	Ability of computers/machines to mimic the problem-solving and decision-making capabilities of the human mind.
Blockchain	A decentralized digital ledger that records transactions across a network of computers in a way that is transparent and tamper-resistant. In conservation, blockchain is being explored for wildlife trade traceability and supply chain verification.
Camera Trap	A remotely activated camera equipped with a motion or infrared sensor that automatically captures images or video when an animal or person passes in front of it. Camera traps are one of the most widely used tools for wildlife monitoring, population surveys, and anti-poaching surveillance.
Convolutional Neural Network (CNN)	A deep learning algorithm which can take in an input image, assign importance (learnable weights and biases) to various aspects or objects in the image, and differentiate one from the other. CNNs are increasingly used in conservation to automate the analysis of camera trap images and remote sensing data.
Dark Web	A part of the internet that is not indexed by standard search engines and requires specialist software such as the Tor browser to access. The dark web is used by wildlife traffickers to buy and sell illegal wildlife products with a degree of anonymity.
Drone / Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV)	An aircraft that operates without a human pilot on board, controlled either remotely or autonomously. Drones are used in conservation for anti-poaching surveillance, wildlife population surveys, habitat mapping, and human-wildlife conflict monitoring.
Environmental DNA (eDNA)	Genetic material shed by organisms into their environment through skin cells, mucus, faeces, or other biological matter. eDNA sampling from water, soil, or air can detect the presence of species without direct observation, and is increasingly used for biodiversity monitoring and illegal wildlife trade detection.
Geofencing	The use of GPS or radio frequency technology to define a virtual geographic boundary. When a tagged animal or object crosses the boundary, an automated alert is triggered. In conservation, geofencing is used in human-wildlife conflict early warning systems to alert communities when wildlife approaches farms or settlements.
Global Positioning System (GPS)	A global navigation satellite system that provides location, velocity and time synchronization.
Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)	A standard developed to describe the protocols for second-generation (2G) digital cellular networks. GSM networks are used in conservation technology to transmit data from field devices, such as camera traps and animal tracking collars, to remote servers.
Infrared Radiation	Also called infrared light, this is a form of electromagnetic radiation. The infrared spectrum has a wavelength between 700 nanometers and 1 millimeter. Infrared sensors are used in camera traps and thermal imaging devices for wildlife detection at night.
Internet of Things (IoT)	The network of physical objects, "things", that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the internet. These devices range from ordinary household objects to sophisticated industrial tools.
Iridium Satellite Network	A satellite communications network that offers voice and data connectivity anywhere in the world. Powered by a constellation of 66 cross-linked Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, the Iridium network enables global connections between people, organisations and assets in real time, including in remote areas where terrestrial networks are unavailable.
Long-Range Wide-Area Network (LoRaWAN)	A low-power wireless network protocol that allows battery-operated devices to wirelessly connect and send data over the internet across long distances, up to 10 km in rural areas and 2 km in urban areas. LoRaWAN is used in conservation for connecting remote sensors and early warning systems in areas without mobile network coverage.
Machine Learning	A branch of artificial intelligence (AI) and computer science which focuses on the use of data and algorithms to imitate the way that humans learn, gradually improving accuracy. It allows software applications to become more accurate at predicting outcomes without being explicitly programmed to do so.
Remote Sensing	The acquisition of information about an object or area from a distance, typically using satellite or airborne sensors. Remote sensing is used in conservation for habitat mapping, deforestation monitoring, land use change detection, and tracking wildlife movement at landscape scale.
Telemetry	The transmission of data from a sensor or tag attached to an animal to a remote receiver for monitoring and analysis. In wildlife conservation, telemetry most commonly to the use of radio collars or tags fitted to animals that emit signals picked up by handheld receivers or fixed antenna arrays, allowing researchers and rangers to track animal movements and behavior. Satellite and GPS telemetry systems can also transmit location data automatically over long distances.
Tor Browser	Short for "The Onion Router," the Tor browser is a free, open-source web browser that anonymizes web traffic using the Tor network. By erasing browsing history automatically with every session and encrypting traffic, it protects user identity online. Wildlife traffickers use the Tor browser to access dark web marketplaces for illegal wildlife products.
Ultraviolet (UV) Light	A portion of the electromagnetic spectrum extending from the violet, or short-wavelength, end of the visible light range to the X-ray region. Ultraviolet radiation is undetectable by the human eye, although when it falls on certain materials it may cause them to fluoresce. UV light is used in conservation to detect wildlife products such as ivory and rhino horn.