Drone and satellite policing tested for Cocos Park

Costa Rica

Poachers in Costa Rica’s Cocos Island National Park can run from park rangers; but thanks to two new electronic surveillance initiatives, they might soon find it far more difficult to hide. Conservation groups in recent months have been piloting two programs to help government officials monitor the park, which encompasses 9-square-mile (23-sq-km) Cocos Island, located off Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, and some 4,492 square miles (11,634 sq kms) of protected ocean waters around it. One has centered on public scrutiny of satellite images, the other on monitoring done by drones. Due to the abundance in its waters of pelagic species such as dolphins, rays, sharks and tuna as well as much other sea life, Cocos Island is a highly prized marine... [Log in to read more]

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