Minnesota-grown technology helps scientists track wildlife around the globe

Bsal is a fungal pathogen that causes a deadly disease in salamanders. Experts from Mexico, Canada, and the United States came together to create the volunteer-based North American Bsal Task Force to prevent it from spreading further and prepare a plan of action for when the pathogen reaches the continent.

By rewetting part of the Santa Cruz River in Tucson, the city has been able to revitalize an ecosystem that was once thought to be lost. Through collaboration and research, hundreds of species of creatures have returned to the river. This restoration project could serve as a model for other cities that want to help their desert rivers and sustain wildlife habitats.

The invasive European green crab was wreaking havoc on the soft-shell clam fishery in Nova Scotia. But fishers, researchers, and park officials worked together to remove as many of them as possible and find an alternative use for them. Their efforts were working: eelgrass meadows and clam populations were rebounding. Now, they’re testing how these crabs can be used in lobster bait, bioplastics, or even fertilizer for gardens.

After a fishing cat was first documented in an Indian coastal city, state authorities, scientists, and conservationists sought to understand how many felines called the wetland home. Using camera traps, they observed 10 individual fishing cats among the mangrove forests, though this method of estimating the population is tricky. Another survey is underway as researchers study how the health of these habitats are linked to the health of the fishing cats, and how to effectively educate locals about the importance of protecting this species.

An insect that makes its home on eastern hemlocks in Nova Scotia has the power to wipe out the tree species if left unchecked. Scientists are looking to a strategy called biological control — a historically controversial approach — that would introduce a new predatory species to kill the insect. After rigorous lab testing showed a small black beetle only attacked their targets and didn’t disrupt other ecosystems, they released them in 2003 at an orchard on Vancouver Island. Results show they have been somewhat effective, but it’s unclear if it will completely solve the problem.

Across the world, research is being done to figure out if probiotics – live bacteria that hold numerous health benefits – can help animals other than humans. Thus far, such treatments have yielded success in labs working with amphibians, brown bats, and coral, demonstrating that humans can help treat wildlife diseases. While the research continues to show success, many are now figuring out how to give this sort of treatment in nature and on much larger scales.

Fence posts that flash blue and yellow lights while emitting a high-pitched noise when they detect oncoming car headlights are preventing car crashes involving kangaroos and wallabies in Australia. The practice is known as virtual fencing.

Scientists are using radio tracking technology to track invasive species like “murder hornets” to prevent them from overrunning the environment. The tagged hornet leads scientists to their nest, allowing them to eliminate the hive before an invasion occurs. Neither the U.S. nor Canada has had a giant hornet sighting since the last nest was destroyed in 2021, but this technology allows researchers to be prepared.

In the race to survey and catalog natural springs in Patagonia, Arizona, before they dry up, the Sky Island Alliance created an app-based volunteer program to collect more information. Locals can pick out coordinates to search for a spring and fill out a survey about what they find.

Citizen scientists in India are using apps like iNaturalist to contribute to scientific research on biodiversity. They help fills gaps in data by adding photos of plants and animals to the app for researchers to assess.