Researchers in Canada are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to tackle the alarming mass extinction of insects, a crisis unfolding a thousand times faster than previous extinctions. Maxim Larrivee, director of the Montreal Insectarium, emphasized the urgency: “The decline is occurring so quickly it can’t be properly monitored, making it impossible to put in place the necessary actions to slow it down,” he told AFP.
The Montreal-based project, named Antenna, is pioneering innovative methods to collect and analyze data on insect populations. Inside a large transparent dome at the insectarium, thousands of butterflies, ants, and praying mantises are being studied. Additionally, solar-powered camera traps have been installed from Canada’s far north to the rainforests of Panama, capturing images every 10 seconds of insects attracted to ultraviolet lights.
Larrivee highlighted that advancements such as high-resolution cameras, low-cost sensors, and AI models could double the biodiversity information collected over the last 150 years in just two to five years. “Even for us, it sounds like science fiction,” he remarked, grinning.
Unveiling the Unknown
Scientists warn that the world is facing its most significant mass extinction event since the age of dinosaurs. While the causes of insect species collapse—climate change, habitat loss, and pesticides—are well-known, quantifying the extent has been challenging. Improved data collection is crucial for developing conservation policies to restore biodiversity.
With an estimated 10 million insect species representing half of the world’s biodiversity, only about a million have been documented. David Rolnick, a biodiversity specialist at the Quebec AI Institute working on Antenna, noted that AI could help identify some of the 90 percent of undiscovered species. “When we went to Panama and tested our sensor systems in the rainforest, within a week, we found 300 new species. And that is just the tip of the iceberg,” Rolnick told AFP.
Advancing Biodiversity Monitoring
Antenna’s current focus is on moths—a diverse group with over 160,000 species that are easy to identify visually and are low on the food chain. “This is the next frontier for biodiversity monitoring,” Rolnick explained. The project uses an open-source model, encouraging global contributions to enrich the platform. Researchers aim to expand their modeling to identify new species in the deep sea and others harmful to agriculture.
Meanwhile, the Montreal Insectarium leverages technology for public education. Visitors can snap pictures of butterflies in a vivarium and use an app to identify the exact species. French tourist Camille Clement expressed cautious optimism, supporting the use of AI to protect ecology provided “we use it meticulously.” Julie Jodoin, director of Espace Pour La Vie—which oversees five Montreal museums including the Insectarium—stressed the importance of awareness: “If we don’t know nature, we can’t ask citizens to change their behaviour.”
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Canada AI project hopes to help reverse mass insect extinction
cgtn.com
