Huawei, in collaboration with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and local collaborator Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), has initiated the Tech4Nature project, aimed at the monitoring and conservation of coral reef ecosystems and biodiversity within Kenya’s Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park and Reserve.
It is a three-year project aligned with Huawei’s TECH4ALL initiative and the IUCN Green List framework, aimed to enhance the monitoring and management effectiveness of this critical marine protected area.
Placed on Kenya’s southern coastline, the Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park and Reserve is presently confronted with several conservation challenges, including:
- Illegal fishing activities and inadequate human resources to enforce protective measures.
- A deficiency in remote monitoring capabilities for the reserve’s coral islands, coupled with the adverse impacts of tourism, particularly as the fringing reefs serve as popular diving destinations.
- Limited local community engagement regarding the significance of coral reef protection and biodiversity conservation.
- Inadequate telecommunications infrastructure, which impedes the implementation of tech-based monitoring solutions.
To manage these challenges, the project will deploy developed technologies such as underwater cameras, photogrammetry, and acoustic monitoring systems to assess marine life, including the biomass and population dynamics of parrot fish.
An AI system will be developed to identify specific target species through visual and acoustic recognition within the reserve and surrounding reef ecosystems. Enhanced digital power solutions and improved network connectivity will extend across the park and its watch tower, enabling efficient transmission of collected data to cloud-based servers for AI analysis.
“Tech4Nature is an expansive project that falls under Huawei’s digital inclusion initiative TECH4ALL, where we look at ways to implement technology and innovation in various sectors of our day-to-day life, improving global standards and ensure that we have a sustainable way of life in the world,” said Khadija Mohamed, Director of Media and Government Relations for Huawei Kenya.
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“The technology we are introducing is a groundbreaking development for marine conservation in Kenya. It will serve as the first monitoring tool for data collection, analysis, and management in a marine protected area. Additionally, this innovation presents an opportunity to assist the park in attaining IUCN Green List certification, aligning with the sustainability goals valued by tourists and ensuring that future generations can continue to benefit from our marine parks,” said Innocent Kabenga, Country Representative for the IUCN Kenya Country Office.
“For us to deliver our mandate of protecting and conserving our wildlife in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems, you have to understand your resources very well. We are partnering with Huawei and IUCN to deploy underwater cameras to acquire some data on marine mammals, corals, and fisheries to make informed decisions. The advantage of this technology it can be deployed in wider areas that we couldn’t patrol every single day to get data for day and night for us to make good, informed decisions,” said Adan Kala, Senior Assistant Director, Coast Conservation Area, Kenya Wildlife Service.
This project will be conducted in association with KWS and the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI). Insights derived from this data-driven approach will inform targeted conservation strategies within the reserve.
