Canada AI initiative aims to counteract widespread insect decline
A Canadian AI initiative aims to combat the ongoing mass extinction of insects. By utilizing advanced artificial intelligence, the project seeks to analyze and address the factors contributing to the decline in insect populations, ultimately striving to preserve biodiversity and the essential roles insects play in ecosystems.
TroibNews 
Researchers in Canada are employing artificial intelligence to monitor the mass extinction of insects, with the aim of gathering data that may help reverse species decline and prevent ecological disaster.
"Of all the mass extinctions we have experienced in the past, the one affecting insects is happening a thousand times faster," noted Maxim Larrivee, director of the Montreal Insectarium.
The rapid pace of decline complicates monitoring efforts, making it difficult "to put in place the necessary actions to slow it down," he told AFP.
The Montreal-based initiative, known as Antenna, includes data collection activities beneath a large transparent dome at the insectarium, where researchers study thousands of butterflies, ants, and praying mantises.
Additionally, solar-powered camera traps have been set up in various locations, ranging from the far north of Canada to the rainforests of Panama, capturing pictures of insects drawn to UV lights every 10 seconds.
Larrivee expressed that advancements such as high-resolution cameras, cost-effective sensors, and AI data processing could potentially double the biodiversity information collected over the past 150 years within a timeframe of two to five years.
"Even for us, it sounds like science fiction," he said, smiling.
'Tip of iceberg'
Experts have warned that the planet is facing its largest mass extinction event since the age of dinosaurs.
The factors leading to insect species decline, including climate change, habitat degradation, and pesticide use, are well documented, but quantifying the extent and nature of these losses has proven challenging.
With better data, the potential exists to develop "decision-making tools for governments and environmentalists" that could inform conservation policies aimed at restoring biodiversity, Larrivee emphasized.
While estimates suggest there are around 10 million species of insects, accounting for half of the global biodiversity, only a million have been documented and studied.
David Rolnick, a biodiversity expert at the Quebec AI Institute involved in the Antenna project, highlighted that AI could assist in documenting some of the 90 percent of insect species that remain unidentified.
"We found that when we went to Panama and tested our sensor systems in the rainforest, within a week, we found 300 new species. And that is just the tip of the iceberg," Rolnick conveyed to AFP.
Public education
Currently focused on moths, the Antenna project is working to refine AI tools.
Moths, with over 160,000 different species, are a visually identifiable and diverse group of insects that occupy a lower position in the food chain, according to Rolnick.
"This is the next frontier for biodiversity monitoring," he stated.
The Montreal initiative operates on an open-source model, encouraging contributions to enhance the platform.
Researchers aspire to utilize their modeling to discover new species in the deep sea and to identify harmful species affecting agriculture.
At the same time, the Montreal Insectarium is applying its technology for educational initiatives. Visitors can photograph butterflies in a vivarium and use an app to accurately identify the species.
French tourist Camille Clement expressed a cautious perspective, supporting the use of AI for ecological protection as long as "we use it meticulously."
Julie Jodoin, director of Espace Pour La Vie, which encompasses five Montreal museums including the Insectarium, remarked: "If we don't know nature, we can't ask citizens to change their behaviour."
Rohan Mehta contributed to this report for TROIB News
"Of all the mass extinctions we have experienced in the past, the one affecting insects is happening a thousand times faster," noted Maxim Larrivee, director of the Montreal Insectarium.
The rapid pace of decline complicates monitoring efforts, making it difficult "to put in place the necessary actions to slow it down," he told AFP.
The Montreal-based initiative, known as Antenna, includes data collection activities beneath a large transparent dome at the insectarium, where researchers study thousands of butterflies, ants, and praying mantises.
Additionally, solar-powered camera traps have been set up in various locations, ranging from the far north of Canada to the rainforests of Panama, capturing pictures of insects drawn to UV lights every 10 seconds.
Larrivee expressed that advancements such as high-resolution cameras, cost-effective sensors, and AI data processing could potentially double the biodiversity information collected over the past 150 years within a timeframe of two to five years.
"Even for us, it sounds like science fiction," he said, smiling.
'Tip of iceberg'
Experts have warned that the planet is facing its largest mass extinction event since the age of dinosaurs.
The factors leading to insect species decline, including climate change, habitat degradation, and pesticide use, are well documented, but quantifying the extent and nature of these losses has proven challenging.
With better data, the potential exists to develop "decision-making tools for governments and environmentalists" that could inform conservation policies aimed at restoring biodiversity, Larrivee emphasized.
While estimates suggest there are around 10 million species of insects, accounting for half of the global biodiversity, only a million have been documented and studied.
David Rolnick, a biodiversity expert at the Quebec AI Institute involved in the Antenna project, highlighted that AI could assist in documenting some of the 90 percent of insect species that remain unidentified.
"We found that when we went to Panama and tested our sensor systems in the rainforest, within a week, we found 300 new species. And that is just the tip of the iceberg," Rolnick conveyed to AFP.
Public education
Currently focused on moths, the Antenna project is working to refine AI tools.
Moths, with over 160,000 different species, are a visually identifiable and diverse group of insects that occupy a lower position in the food chain, according to Rolnick.
"This is the next frontier for biodiversity monitoring," he stated.
The Montreal initiative operates on an open-source model, encouraging contributions to enhance the platform.
Researchers aspire to utilize their modeling to discover new species in the deep sea and to identify harmful species affecting agriculture.
At the same time, the Montreal Insectarium is applying its technology for educational initiatives. Visitors can photograph butterflies in a vivarium and use an app to accurately identify the species.
French tourist Camille Clement expressed a cautious perspective, supporting the use of AI for ecological protection as long as "we use it meticulously."
Julie Jodoin, director of Espace Pour La Vie, which encompasses five Montreal museums including the Insectarium, remarked: "If we don't know nature, we can't ask citizens to change their behaviour."
Rohan Mehta contributed to this report for TROIB News
