My vision for conservation focuses on animal population size and connectivity. First, we need annual estimates of animal abundance and their trends to know which species most need our help, where. Second, we need species-specific measures of habitat connectivity between these populations to ensure animal movement continues to provide genetic exchange and allow colonization of new habitats as the planet warms. Both metrics need to account for the rapid changes from development and climate change, and the varied effects of human recreationalists and hunters. Just a few years ago, proposing these measures for all wildlife at global scales would have been absurd – but now it is possible. From camera traps, hunters, Native communities, naturalists, and animal tracking we have never had so much data about our wildlife. Satellites return live information about the landscapes and climates animals are moving through, and new analytical approaches (AI and others) allow us to combine these with animal data in population and movement models. Linking big data, live data, and real time analytics into an Internet of Animals will help us build a Digital Twin of planet earth that includes mobile animals and the ecosystem processes they support.
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