An infrared camera with real-time transmission capabilities applied in the system. [Photo/WeChat Account: wxlishui]

Lishui in Zhejiang province has established China's first intelligent biodiversity monitoring system covering the entire city area, as announced at a news conference on March 28.

This system utilizes cutting-edge technologies such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and environmental DNA to automate data collection and species recognition.

Developed in collaboration with the Nanjing Institute of Environmental Sciences under the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, Lishui's system integrates a variety of intelligent biodiversity monitoring equipment, including infrared cameras with real-time transmission capabilities, bird-call recorders, radar cameras for monitoring amphibians and reptiles, and devices for tracking butterflies.

Cui Peng, a researcher at the institute, highlighted that this system enables the real-time monitoring of dynamic changes across various species of plants, mammals, birds, and aquatic organisms, which has replaced the predominantly manual monitoring methods previously used.

In 2023 alone, Lishui established 20 sample areas for intelligent biodiversity monitoring, with over 600 monitoring points, amassing 15.7 terabytes of data. The system detected 229 bird species in 2023, accounting for 64 percent of the results obtained through manual monitoring.

Additionally, an AI-based automatic species identification system has been developed, capable of the image and sound recognition of over 30 medium and large-sized mammals, more than 150 bird species, and over 70 amphibians and reptiles.

It can also conduct DNA identification of over 800 insect species and more than 500 aquatic organisms. The accuracy rate for recognition of terrestrial vertebrates has exceeded 85 percent.