Figures differ significantly, but it is generally thought that between 300 and 850 animal species (including insects, birds, fish, mammals, reptiles, etc.) become extinct each year
Even the most conservative of estimates show that this is at least 1,000 times higher than natural extinction rates would be responsible for, so it is clear that the effects of humans on the natural world is having a big impact – with pollution, climate change, intensive farming and over fishing all being contributing factors.
Tackling this serious problem will require ongoing access to large quantities of detailed empirical data by bio-tagging land-dwelling, marine and avian species so that the various dynamics affecting them can be identified.
Satellite Tracking
Older, fully-terrestrial systems have mostly been replaced by more advanced satellite-based alternatives that offer greater convenience by remote access and the potential to carry out research on a larger scale. However, acquiring such data is still difficult and can also be very costly.
The current ARGOS satellite monitoring technology is based on GPS location, where the tags are quite large and require considerable power to run. Their size and weight means that they are not suitable for use with many smaller species, thus restricting the scope of implementation. Consequently ARGOS is most commonly used for examining the movements of larger sea-bound creatures.
The Cost of Satellite Tracking
The unit cost of each tag and the satellite tracking support that accompanies it represents a sizeable investment for research institutes. Replacing tags can prove to be extremely difficult and hazardous for conservation/research staff to travel to remote places.
A more recent development is the ICARUS system. Like ARGOS, this uses GPS too, but has lower power requirements – allowing the tags to be smaller. Because of this, ICARUS is better suited to smaller species, like birds. It is not as capable of tracking marine life though, as the prolonged signal handshake required gives very limited time between tagged animals surfacing and data being captured.
