Early in her career, Megan Owen recalls, she often found herself wishing for more data to understand certain behavioral patterns in the animals she was studying. However, more often than not, she says, she had to submit to the fact that “there was just no way we’ll ever be able to get that data.” But that scenario gradually changed as technology witnessed a rapid boom over the years. “Now, I don’t think we say that anymore,” Owen, a behavioral ecologist and vice president of wildlife conservation science at the nonprofit San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, tells Mongabay. Owen now leads a team of biologists, ecologists and engineers who run a conservation technology lab at San Diego Zoo with the aim of developing and deploying technologies that could help speed up the implementation of wildlife management and conservation strategies. Apart from developing automated workflows to collect and process vast amounts of data, team members at the lab are also working to develop and mentor the next generation of conservation technology practitioners. Operating a tech lab in a zoo setting, Owen says, has its perks. “We are in a situation where we can validate a lot of our tools working with the wildlife in our care, and that’s just a tremendous boon,” she says. Megan Owen leads a team of biologists, ecologists and engineers who are part of the conservation technology lab at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Image courtesy of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Megan Owen spoke with Mongabay’s…This article was originally published on Mongabay
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