Study finds wildlife surveillance technology used to blackmail and spy on women

Remotely operated camera traps, sound recorders, and drones are increasingly used in conservation science to monitor wildlife and natural habitats, and to monitor protected areas. But Cambridge researchers studying the forests of northern India have found that the technology is being deliberately misused by local authorities and village men to monitor women without their consent.

Cambridge researcher Dr Trishanth Simrai spent 14 months interviewing 270 local people living around the Corbett Tiger Reserve, a national park in northern India, including women from nearby villages. It also included many.

His report, published in the journal Environment and Planning F, found that national park forest rangers deliberately tried to intimidate local women into leaving the forest, despite their legal right to do so. It has been revealed that they are flying drones to prevent the extraction of natural resources. .

Women who previously found shelter in the forests, away from male-dominated villages, now speak and sing more quietly as they feel watched and suppressed by camera traps. He told Mr. Shimrai that he had become. This increases the chance of unexpected encounters with potentially dangerous wildlife such as elephants and tigers. Later, one of the women he interviewed was attacked and killed by a tiger.

This study reveals the worst-case scenario of intentional human surveillance and intimidation. But researchers say people are being unintentionally recorded by wildlife monitoring devices in many other places, even in UK national parks, without their knowledge.

Dr Shimlai, a researcher at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Sociology, said: ‘Camera traps installed in Indian forests to monitor mammals are actually having a significant negative impact on the mental health of local women who use the sites. No one would have noticed,” he said. and lead author of the report.

Professor Chris Sandbrook said: “These discoveries have caused quite a stir among the conservation community. Although it is very common for projects to use these technologies to monitor wildlife, “This highlights the need to really make sure they are not causing unintended harm.” He is director of the Master’s Program in Conservation Leadership at the University of Cambridge and was also involved in the report.

He added: “Surveillance technology that is supposed to track animals could easily be used to monitor humans instead, violating privacy and altering human behavior.” Ta.

Many areas of conservation importance overlap with areas of human use. The researchers urge conservationists to think carefully about the impact on society of using remote monitoring technology and whether less invasive methods such as surveys can provide the information they need.

Intimidation and intentional humiliation

Women living near India’s Corbett Tiger Reserve use forests every day in ways that are central to their lives, from collecting firewood and herbs to sharing life’s challenges through traditional songs.

Domestic violence and alcoholism are endemic in this rural area, and many women spend long hours in the forest to escape difficult family situations.

Women told Simrai that new technology introduced under the guise of wildlife monitoring projects is being used to intimidate and exert power over women by monitoring wildlife.

Mr Simrai said: “Photographs of a woman going to the toilet in the forest – taken with a camera, presumably for wildlife monitoring – were posted on local Facebook and WhatsApp groups as a deliberate means of harassment. It was spread,” he said.

He added: “We discovered that local women form strong bonds as they work together in the forest and sing songs while collecting firewood to ward off attacks by elephants and tigers. They watch the traps on camera. “I feel inhibited because I don’t know who’s watching,” he added. When you listen to them, their behavior changes as a result, often becoming much quieter, which puts them at risk. ”

In places like northern India, local women’s identities are closely tied to their daily activities and social roles within the forest. Researchers say understanding the different uses of forests by local women is essential to effective forest management strategies.