A newly launched satellite, part of the ICARUS project, is now able to track the migration routes of various wildlife species, including birds, zebras, sea turtles, and insects. The project, which was put on hold for three years due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, aims to monitor animal behavior and interactions with their environment from space. Initiated by biologist Martin Wikelski in 2002 as “The Internet of Animals,” the project involves attaching tiny transmitters to animals for data collection.
This satellite-based system, developed by researchers worldwide, allows for tracking animals in remote areas inaccessible to ground-based receivers, such as mountain tops, dense jungles, and polar regions. The project’s first space-based receiver, installed in 2020 on the International Space Station, successfully monitored hundreds of animals from various species before being deactivated in 2022 due to the conflict.
Recent advancements have led to the development of smaller, more efficient transmitters that can now be attached to animals as small as songbirds. These transmitters not only provide GPS tracking but also record behavioral and health data, along with environmental conditions like temperature and air pressure. The collected data is transmitted to Movebank, a global animal movement database accessible to researchers worldwide.
The ICARUS team plans to deploy more satellites by 2027 to achieve real-time global coverage for tracking animal migrations and interactions with human settlements and natural landscapes. By engaging citizen scientists through an animal tracker app, the project aims to gather additional data on animal behavior and movements. Understanding natural animal pathways can help in planning land development to preserve these crucial migration routes and habitats.
