Scientists monitor wildlife to boost preservation efforts

Several EPFL laboratories are working to pinpoint what makes Red Sea corals so resilient to global warming and pollution. ©Guilhem Banc-Prandi To mark the tenth annual UN World Wildlife Day, we compiled a sample of EPFL research projects that are using technology to protect and preserve wildlife. Everywhere you look, biodiversity is under threat. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), wildlife populations have plummeted by 69% since 1970. Species extinction is unfolding at more than 1,000 times the natural rate. The percentages of species threatened with extinction are chilling: 40% for plants, 41% for amphibians, 27% for mammals and 13% for birds. While climate change and a growing demand for energy are unlikely to reverse this trend, technological progress and scientific research could help mitigate its effects.