EIEE Webinar – Seminar

Title: High-stakes decisions from low-quality data: AI decision-making for ecosystem conservation

Speaker: Lily Xu, Postdoc at Oxford

Abstract: Wildlife poaching pushes countless species to the brink of extinction, with animal population sizes declining by an average of 70% since 1970. To aid rangers in preventing poaching in protected areas around the world, we have developed a machine learning system to predict poaching hotspots and plan ranger patrols. In this talk, we present technical advances in multi-armed bandits, robust reinforcement learning, and causal inference, guided by research questions that emerged from on-the-ground challenges in deploying this system. We also discuss bridging the gap between research and practice, from field tests in Cambodia and Uganda to large-scale deployment through integration with SMART, the leading platform for protected area management used by over 1,200 wildlife parks worldwide.

Register in advance.