Technological developments have shaped human lives for the better for centuries. However, innovations and cutting-edge technologies have also influenced the way we relate to the environment. Societies across the globe have accepted that humans have leveraged technology to master the world.
Over the past couple of centuries, the industrial revolution in the Western world has led to significant environmental destruction. In the current scenario, digital technologies are compelling humans to rethink the way they relate to technology and their environment. Digital technologies are playing an important role in transforming our relationship with nature. Digitalization is bringing us closer to nature, and we believe that the trend is here to stay.
While technology continues to stretch the limit of our plant on one side, it offers us a great understanding of climate change, alternative energy, and a greener future. Technology is also allowing humans to connect with nature and inspiring them to protect its diversity.
Some recent technologies are enabling us to interact with nature like never before. In this article, we will explore how technology can help us connect with nature.
SEE ALSO: The Need for Climate Tech
The arrival of new-age applications
It is safe to say that field guides are losing their charm in many parts of the world. While they were a great source of information and a gold mine filled with anecdotal experiences, applications are taking over.
Today, you can just click a photo of a flower or a leaf and identify them with an application like Lifesnap. You can determine the scat and tracks of different animals with the MyNature Animal Tracks application. In addition, you can turn into a temporary twitcher by using a number of bird identifications applications.
A few birdsong applications have garnered so much popularity that a lot of people are using them to allure birds. This is your time to shine and impress your friends and family with your impressive knowledge of birds.
You can become a citizen scientist by tracking wildlife numbers using the National Wildlife Federation’s WildObs Observer application. Citizen science is a crowdsourced information collecting operation, especially for large-scale research projects.
If you are interested in visiting different national parks, Oh, Ranger, ParkFinder, and Park Wildlife are some of the applications that will get you to the nearest park around you.
Entry of a range of tech devices for hikers
Technology has taken over different parts of our lives. Thanks to technology, there are a plethora of applications for hiking and backpacking such as GPS tracking trail maps that are very cost-effective.
Some of these applications include Trail Maps by National Geographic and Gaia GPS. Such applications allow you to look for trails along with a topographic map.
You can also spend some cash on a hiking watch that is integrated with a GPS receiver. This GPS receiver can calibrate the barometer for short-term air trends in air pressure. Lastly, it will also guide and direct you where to go. If a watch is beyond your budget and does not fit your style, you can also consider purchasing a handheld GPS device.
When the internet and nature join hands
We have just seen how technology can help us connect with nature. What if we tell you that there is plenty of nature in technology? It sounds bizarre right?
On social media, you will find a plethora of live feeds, hashtags, and social media profiles linked with different animals and species.
You have no idea the power of social media and how it can help you save different species of animals worldwide. You can save species by participating in citizen science projects to track how a particular species is mysteriously disappearing around the world.
Instagram has gradually become a nature-lovers safe haven. Users can use different hashtags to connect people to natural phenomena and locations.
Did you know that there are hundreds of sharks on Twitter with Surf Life Saving Western Australia (SLSWA)? Every shark has a GPS tracker and when a shark comes within half a mile of the beach, SLSWA sends out a tweet with the location.
#UPDATE Scarborough Beach remains closed due to a tagged shark detection. #myScarboroughBeach pic.twitter.com/VCoQVJiR8T
— Surf Life Saving WA (@SLSWA) October 31, 2021
Webcams are one of the most effective ways to get very personal and connected with nature online. For instance, the eagle cams that point toward an eagle’s nest show images that are updated at regular intervals. In fact, there is a range of nest cams that run live streams that capture interesting events such as the hatching of eggs, baby eagles being fed, and more.
If your children are interested in wildlife, you can show them the National Geographic Wild Safari Live. Here, scientists livestream their journey into the Savannahs and other habitats. Besides, they also answer questions from global viewers.
Can technology help us protect nature?
Applications, devices, and social media can bridge the gap between you and nature. Technology can also be utilized to safeguard our planet. For example, the growing adoption of drones by indigenous tribes in South America and also non-profit organizations in Africa are helping us save nature in these areas.
While drones are marketed as a transformational technology, they are economical, accurate, and an excellent tool for instant surveillance.
For example, the Air Shephard Program which is run by Lindbergh Foundation uses drones to look for rhino poachers in Zimbabwe, Malawi, and South Africa. These drones track the poachers and intimate the nearby rangers who intercept these poachers even before they strike.
Technology-driven changes are the way forward
The technology revolution has put forward an array of problems. However, technology also offers amazing opportunities and a ray of hope. If you find different ways to harness and deploy technology, you can protect nature.
Technology can bring us very close to nature and can also be used to create awareness pertaining to a spectrum of subjects. Moving forward, we need to find new ways to leverage technology to bring us closer to nature. While that movement is well underway, we can do a lot more to save mother nature. What kind of innovations will we see in the future? How can we protect nature with technology?
Drop your comments below and tell us about different ways technology can be used to protect nature.
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SEE ALSO: New Tech Enables Communication Between Planes and Submarines
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Image 1 Source: rawpixel.com
Image 2 Source: Image by Jeremy Bishop for rawpixel.com
