Nature Seychelles has joined forces with two local companies – OceanLabs Seychelles and Kingsgate Electronics – to pioneer locally-made conservation technology. Two devices have been co-designed and co-produced entirely in Seychelles, namely NEST (Nest Electronic Surveillance of Turtles) and DREAM (Diver Reef Evaluation Assisted Monitoring). An innovative microwave internet carrier installed to transfer large amounts of data quickly and efficiently, and to support future live video streaming from Cousin Island Special Reserves has also been installed. The devices, part of Nature Seychelles’ Smart Island System initiative, enhance monitoring on Cousin Island Special Reserve. They were developed, tested, and deployed thanks to financial support from Huawei and IUCN’s Tech4Nature project. DREAM, a fully automated sensor platform, autonomously collects sea water parameter data during dives while attached to a diver’s air tank. It is being used at the coral reef restoration project based on Cousin. The data is automatically uploaded post-dive and can be accessed through a user-friendly web interface. NEST automatically monitors and transmits turtle nest environmental data, including temperature, humidity, and oxygen. It is being used during the 2023-24 Hawksbill turtle nesting season.
Learn more: http://tinyurl.com/tech4natureSeychelles