James Wren, ZSL’s Executive Vice President of Global Resources, reveals the story behind the world’s first plant-powered selfie taken by a fern called Pete. 
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Technology has rapidly become something we take for granted. We use technology to read books, order food, pay our bills and stay in touch with loved ones. Technology is part of our everyday lives, and here at ZSL we’re ensuring its part of everyday conservation.
At ZSL, our experts are working to develop innovative technology, or apply tech originally developed for another purpose to our global conservation efforts. Cleverly applied, technology can mean the difference between survival and extinction for some of the world’s most threatened species.
The 2018 Living Planet Index, created by ZSL, points to a 60% decline in global populations of vertebrate species in less than 50 years and the alarming growth of illegal wildlife trade is now recognised as one of the biggest causes of extinction.
Our world’s wildlife is in a precarious position.

ZSL is at the forefront of using technology to improve conservation impact and tackle wildlife issues, from machine learning to capitalising on the emerging technologies transforming every aspect of our daily lives.
Camera trap technology is used to monitor wildlife, climate change and habitat loss. This technology has been used for decades to photograph passing wildlife in their habitats. But camera traps are traditionally heavy and clumsy using batteries to operate, which takes time to maintain and comes at a cost. ZSL experts have a solution.
Last year a fern called Pete, grown in ZSL London Zoo’s Rainforest Life exhibit, took the world’s first plant-powered selfie – the result of a scientific trial that could revolutionise field conservation.

ZSL scientists based at ZSL London Zoo laid the groundwork for the technological feat by installing microbial fuel cells in the soil in order to power the plant to take its own picture. After spending the summer growing in strength, Pete – a maidenhair fern – begun taking his own selfies at an astonishing rate, heralding a resounding success for the trial.
Bacteria in the soil, which is created by the plants natural deposit, can help create energy which could be used for a wide range of conservation tools from sensors to monitoring platform.

While most power sources have limits and batteries in traditional camera traps must be replaced, this new development means we have the potential to monitor remote locations to record data such as temperature, humidity, habitats changes and wildlife populations – all of which are crucial to the understanding of threats such as climate change, habitat loss and illegal wildlife trade.
The aim with this revolutionary technology is for plants like Pete to power conservation camera traps in the wild using the incredible microbial fuel cells that ZSL scientists and partners are currently working on. We’ve quite literally plugged in to nature to help protect the world’s wildlife.

We’re proud to be the only zoo in the world to have a selfie-taking plant in residence and we continue to share Pete’s story with our visitors so they can learn more about how conservation and technology can work in harmony.
We can use an incredible amount of data captured across large areas of land to monitor key species which are of conservation concern, develop biodiversity surveys and understand the impact humans have to animal populations.
As technology for conservation continues to develop it will enable us to better support the wildlife populations endangered by illegal wildlife trade, habitat destruction and climate change.
Innovative technology can enhance the work of our conservationists and scientists who are working to create a world where wildlife thrives.
To find out how you can support us and donate to ZSL, please visit zsl.org to learn more.
 
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