Fieldwork key in protecting wildlife species, says Nilgiris DFO
The Nilgiris Divisional Forest Officer emphasized that traditional fieldwork and indigenous knowledge remain essential for wildlife conservation, despite the benefits of modern technology. Experts also highlighted the growing impact of climate change on local ecology and the necessity of forest protection.
Why it matters
It underscores the balance between technological advancement and traditional ecological knowledge in the face of global climate change.
While the use of modern technology such as artificial intelligence (AI) and thermal imagery was very important in wildlife conservation, fieldwork remains key in protecting species such as the tiger, said Divisional Forest Officer (DFO-The Nilgiris) Kashyap Shashank Ravi in Udhagamandalam on Wednesday (July 29).
The DFO was speaking to students of the Department of Wildlife Biology from the Government Arts College in Udhagamandalam on the occasion of International Tiger Day. “There is no shortcut to fieldwork. As forestry students and as wildlife biology students you have to have very strong legs, very strong eyes and very strong nose and ears,” he said, urging students to adopt traditional knowledge for use in fieldwork.
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