Birdlife International is using a geographic information
system from ArcGIS to map the journeys being taken by albatrosses,
as part of its Save the Albatross campaign.
Monitoring and tracking the journeys taken by these birds is
crucial to the conservation organisation's work to save the birds
from the threat of extinction. The albatross family is one of the
most endangered in the world, with 19 of 21 species under
threat.
The main hazard faced to many species is the fishing lines laid
by long-line fishing fleets.
The largest of the species, the wandering albatross, may travel
up to 6,000 miles on a single trip, which makes the use of GIS
technology crucial for understanding where birds are most at
risk.
ArcGIS software is being used to validate, process and map the
remote tracking data from satellite tag and geolocator devices on
the birds.
