New Technologies in International Law / Tymofeyeva, Crhák et al.

main cause of the extinction of wildlife is natural habitat loss. 257 At the same time, the capability and the necessary finances are located in developed countries, while the most diverse and yet the most threatened habitats are located in poor developing countries. 258 Without the help of developed countries, it is impossible for developing countries to successfully fight biodiversity loss. As it will be shown later, international environmental law has been trying to regulate this specific problem. We already mentioned so-called networked sensors. Camera traps, tracking devices, or other monitoring devices have been used for decades, but even though they have come a long way, they still can pose a danger to animals, especially endangered ones. As with drones, these devices are quite expensive. To use a tracking device, you need to physically capture animals, and for endangered species, even the least intrusive device may pose a threat. 259 Bioacoustics are another interesting type of networked sensors. A recent study showed their potential for monitoring the success of biodiversity recovery. Since many species, including birds, mammals, amphibians, and insects use sound to communicate, using bioacoustics helps monitor biodiversity development, and even potentially discover new species. 260 After these technologies “finish their jobs”, artificial intelligence analyzes gathered information. AI has the potential to identify and detect important information out of thousands of photos or out of hours of field recording – reducing the time and costs of manual labor. 261 Technologies have the potential to be a reliable partner in the field of biodiversity protection. Later, we will analyze whether this area is adequately regulated by international environmental law. Does environmental law regulate the use of the abovementioned technologies, does it address challenges such as limited funding, inadequate capacity building, data sharing, or privacy concerns? 2.2 Biotechnology versus biodiversity When it comes to biotechnology, it is already a well-established type of technology in international environmental law. However, before we look at it from a legal perspective, it is necessary to point out its pros and cons. In accordance with the Convention on Biological Diversity (1992), “biotechnology means any technological application that uses biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to make or modify products or processes for specific use.” 262 Examples 257 Lebleu T, ‘Technologies to protect biodiversity’ ( Solarimpulse Foundation , 18 April 2019) accessed 2 November 2023. 258 Conway W, ‘Chapter 30: Can Technology Aid Species Preservation?’ in Wilson EO and Peter FM (eds), Biodiversity (NAS/SI, 1999), pp. 263–268. 259 Pimm SL, Alibhai S, Bergl R et al, ‘Emerging Technologies to Conserve Biodiversity’ (2015) 30(11) Trends Ecol Evol 685. 260 Müller J, Mitesser O, Schaefer HM et al, ‘Soundscapes and Deep Learning Enable Tracking Biodiversity Recovery in Tropical Forests’ (2023) 14 Nat Commun 6191. 261 Speaker T, O‘Donnell S, Wittemyer G et al, ‘A Global Community-Sourced Assessment of the State of Conservation Technology’ (2022) 36(3) Conserv Biol 13871. 262 Convention on Biological Diversity, June 5, 1982, reprinted in 31 ILM 822 (1992).

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