Huawei AI aids conservation of endangered Chinese monkey
Huawei Technologies is using artificial intelligence to protect endangered monkeys here, helping to sift through huge amounts of camera footage to better understand their ecology. The project centers on the critically endangered white-headed langur, of which only around 1,400 are thought to exist, all in the Guangxi region. These cliff-dwelling monkeys are covered in golden fur until they are about two-and-a-half years old, at which point the fur on their heads turns white while most of the rest becomes black.
More than 20 cameras have been set up across a roughly 200-square-kilometer stretch of a nature reserve in Chongzuo. The AI, which was developed in collaboration with the reserve and a nonprofit with animal expertise, detects and saves only footage with langurs present, which is used to analyze their ecology.
"Storing and analyzing massive amounts of data without using AI would be an enormous amount of work," said Tian Yongsheng, deputy general manager of Huawei Guangxi. The system allows this to be done more efficiently.
Data centers and servers for the AI were made by Huawei. The reserve began using the AI in 2024. Going forward, it plans to work on identifying and monitoring individual langurs, which is expected to shed light on points that are not currently understood, such as the meaning of their calls.
The white-headed langur population declined dramatically due to hunting as well as habitat loss due to agricultural expansion, dropping to just 360 or so in the early 1980s. Conservation efforts have enabled a gradual recovery.
"In addition to legal measures and conservation awareness, using new technologies like AI has improved efficiency," the head of the reserve said.
Huawei says it is involved in animal and other conservation projects in 65 locations within and outside China. Other projects involving AI include analyzing beluga whale vocalizations in China's Hainan province and identifying jaguars in Mexico based on their markings.
