WCTC Resources
Insights from Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge Winners and Partners
In November 2017, USAID convened winners of the Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge as well as key partners and supporters to discuss successes, challenges and lessons, and to identify ways to continue exploring and elevating the role of science and technology in fighting wildlife crime.
The Uni. of Washington is using DNA tech to protect pangolins
Congratulations to the University of Washington, one of the Challenge’s four Grand Prize Winners! They share a more than $900,000 Grand Prize to accelerate their exceptional innovation, a genetic analysis tool that will reveal where pangolins, some of the most trafficked mammals in the world, are being poached.
Uni. of Pretoria is using DNA profiling to protect rhinos
Rhino poaching in South Africa has increased 9000% since 2007.
YIARI is helping protect slow lorises
Slow lorises are adorable, which is why many of them are illegally captured for the pet trade.
Paso Pacifico is saving sea turtles
Sea turtle eggs are poached throughout Central America.
Binomial Solutions is changing wildlife surveillance
Challenge Prize Winner Binomial Solutions’ innovative solar-powered surveillance system helps to protect animals and stop poachers.
Planet Indonesia’s app helps protect songbirds
Collecting data about animals sold in illegal wildlife markets can be difficult and dangerous.
ZSL protects wildlife like museums protect priceless art
Protecting wildlife within large, remote animal reserves is challenging.
New England Aquarium is tackling wildlife trafficking at ports
Congratulations to the New England Aquarium, one of the Challenge’s four Grand Prize Winners! They share a more than $900,000 Grand Prize to accelerate their exceptional innovation, which leverages “smart invoice” technology to help port inspectors find illegal wildlife trade hidden in plain sight.
Mars Omega boosts wildlife crime intelligence
Storing and analyzing data is an incredibly important part of fighting wildlife crime.
Bosque Antiguo is using tech to tackle bird and reptile trafficking
Challenge Prize Winner Bosque Antiguo’s forensic tools analyze DNA markers to identify trafficked bird and reptile species, helping to reintroduce animals to their home populations, stop specimen laundering, and prosecute criminals.
The GDELT Project is using data to map wildlife crime
Challenge Prize Winner the GDELT Project is using data to fight wildlife crime.
For the Fishes’ app protects coral reef fish
Want an aquarium? Challenge Prize Winner For the Fishes’ amazing app, Tank Watch, educates and empowers consumers, helping them avoid buying the millions of coral reef fish that are illegally and unsustainably captured each year to fill marine tanks.
Uni. of Leicester’s DNA sequencer helps fight wildlife crime
Traditional DNA sequencing takes days, is expensive, and must happen in a lab.
New York University is tackling online wildlife trafficking
Congratulations to New York University, one of the Challenge’s four Grand Prize Winners! They share a more than $900,000 Grand Prize to accelerate their exceptional innovation, a secure, web-based interface that leverages the power of machine learning to identify online wildlife trafficking.
National Whistleblower Center is fighting wildlife crime corruption
Congratulations to the National Whistleblower Center, one of the Challenge’s four Grand Prize Winners! They share a more than $900,000 Grand Prize to accelerate their exceptional innovation, the Global Wildlife Whistleblower Program, which will fight corruption by incentivizing insiders to securely report wildlife crime.
