Will AI protect wildlife in Satpura-Melghat railway corridor in Madhya Pradesh; MoU signed between SFRI and IIT Indore
To save wildlife, Madhya Pradesh Forest Department has taken serious initiative keeping in mind the possible negative impacts on the Satpura Melghat Corridor and the eco-sensitive zone of Satpura Tiger Reserve due to the expansion of the proposed third railway line from Itarsi to Nagpur.
An MoU has been signed between the State Forest Research Institute (SFRI) Jabalpur and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Indore. Its main objective is to develop an AI based early warning system. This will prevent incidents of collision of wild animals like tiger, leopard on the railway track in the Satpura-Melghat corridor.
The Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) has directed the State Forest Research Institute (SFRI) Jabalpur to prepare a mitigation plan for the railway line expansion. It has also been made clear to the Railway Authority that further action will be taken on the basis of this report. This MoU has been done in this context. SFRI Jabalpur and IIT Indore are jointly developing AI based systems to make wildlife conservation more scientific and effective.
On the occasion of the MoU, SFRI Jabalpur Director Mr. Pradeep Vasudev and scientist Dr. Anirudh Majumdar and IIT Indore Director Mr. Suhas S. Joshi, Dean Mr. Abhirup Dutt and Associate Professor Dr. Saurabh Das were present.