Bringing GIS to the canopies: The internship of two GEM students to protect sloths in Costa Rica

Their internship journey began with a four-week preparation phase in Bocas del Toro, Panama.

During these initial weeks, our students participated in a tree-climbing course at the Institute for Tropical Ecology and Conservation (ITEC). “It was an amazing experience on an island in Bocas del Toro, which is a rural, remote area at a research station. We spent four weeks there learning to climb big trees with different techniques,” Mike explains.

Learning single-rope and double-rope techniques

This short course provided them with skills in canopy ecology and tree climbing, which would be essential for their subsequent internship work. "We got certified in single rope techniques (SRT), double rope techniques (DRT), and facilitation of climbs," Anne Kirstine mentions.

The internship took place at the Sloth Conservation Foundation (SloCo) just across the border in Costa Rica, a six-hour bus ride from their training site in Bocas del Toro.

A sloth in its natural habitat poses for a picture

Founded in 2017 by renowned sloth researcher Dr. Rebecca Cliffe, the mission of the Sloth Conservation Foundation is to protect and preserve sloths in the wild through research, education, and community-based conservation initiatives. This foundation focuses on addressing threats such as habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and environmental changes.

Anne Kirstine's project at the Sloth Conservation Foundation involved comparing different methods for detecting sloths, including the use of different methods: detection dogs, binoculars, and thermal drones.

"Detection dogs are efficient in dense forests with low visibility, but the presence of urban noise and distractions might affect the dogs' ability to smell. Another method to spot sloths is to equip trained people with binoculars, which is a cost-effective method but has limitations when visibility is low. Thermal drones might pose an advantage if trees are high, but using them requires a longer process with higher costs,” Anne Kirstine notes.

Binocular surveying

With this internship project, she determined the advantages and disadvantages of each method under various conditions. "I wanted to see which methods were more suitable in different environments, considering factors like rain, smells, and tree height," she explains.

Mike's project used GIS to develop a strategic plan for future canopy bridge installations. Canopy bridges are essentially rope structures that connect tree canopies, which sloths and other animals use to travel safely above ground. These bridges reconnect forest patches, which are exponentially more fragmented due to urban development. Without bridges, sloths descend to the ground and face threats such as electrocution and road accidents.

Mike at the canopy heights

Mike used satellite imagery to identify forest patches and suggest locations for new bridges. According to Mike, "About 400 bridges are needed to reconnect all the forest patches within the study area, which was around 30 square kilometers."

These projects had quite some unique challenges. At the start, Anne Kirstine and Mike had to determine their research area, setting up poles and framing the field through thick vegetation; “Due to the density of the trees, we had to walk around with a machete,” Anne Kirstine comments. “People got stung by wasps, and someone almost stood on a venomous snake… sometimes it was a bit Indiana Jones,” Mike chuckles.

During later stages, the unpredictable weather often messed up plans for fieldwork. According to the students, “There was something called the Curse of the Census; when we were out into the field to count sloths, it suddenly started pouring down with rain.”

Photo taken during the Curse of the Census

Despite these obstacles, both students made significant contributions to the foundation through their internship projects. The internship experience was not only academically enriching but also personally fulfilling for both. In their own words, “We were the first GEM students to go, and we definitely recommend it to future students.”

Now, their work can be used as groundwork for future GEM students who might intern with the foundation, setting up GIS frameworks and enhancing the foundation's understanding of spatial data and analysis.

After the exciting summer internship, Mike and Anne Kirstine are now settled in the ITC Faculty in the Netherlands, ready to face the final stage of the GEM program; the MSc thesis.

Anne Kirstine's MSc thesis will explore the predictability of biochemical traits in pines found in Crete using thermal drone data. She will focus on the relationship between the water content in these pines and their land surface temperature as captured by thermal drones. Anne Kirstine already conducted fieldwork in Crete, collecting samples from pine trees, and is currently analyzing these samples in the lab.

For his MSc thesis, Mike will create a species distribution model for an endangered species of moss in Bulgaria. His project involves identifying the environmental conditions that favor the growth of this moss, such as high humidity, dead wood presence, and high elevation. He aims to produce a map highlighting areas where the moss is likely to be found. This model can help direct future surveys and improve data collection for conservation efforts.

Both students agreed to return to Costa Rica at some point in the future; “During our internship, we met really nice people and discovered a beautiful region. When I go back, I will make sure to have an extra week or two just to explore around,” Anne Kirstine shares.

Members of the Sloth Conservation Foundation