Tracking the migratory path of the Osprey over a 10,000-kilometer expedition is no easy task. However, live video solutions from LiveU are helping to make it a reality.
Flight of the Osprey: The Conservation Without Borders Project
The approximately three-month, overland journey, which recently started in Findhorn, Scotland, and will finish at the end of November in Ghana, is following the migratory path of the Osprey, accompanying the birds on their 2022 autumn migration across Europe and Africa. This nine-person expedition, using specially equipped Land Rovers, will gather vital data on the threats faced by this iconic bird of prey and other migratory species.
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As Conservation Without Borders said, this is a “journey across rising seas and vast deserts, diving into the hidden world underwater and battling frequent storms, the team will show in a dramatic and tangible way, the catastrophic effects of a changing climate and other human impacts on our wildlife, their habitats and people that live along the flyway.”
"We looked at the Osprey and there were several aspects that attracted us to following these birds, central to this being they are so recognizable and identifiable," explained Sacha Dench, ambassador, UN’s Convention on Migratory Species and founder of Conservation Without Borders. "We like the fact that it has come back to living in places from where it was previously pushed out. This shows what we are capable of if we put our minds to it.”
LiveU Helps Tell the Story
LiveU is supplying its live video solutions, as well as training for the media team, to support the project, helping communicate the overall messages as well as interviews and updates along the way via a variety of national, local and social media. LiveU has supplied a field unit and a cloud server so they can create live content as well as using the technology to easily create and distribute content packages that can be downloaded. This server can also be associated with broadcast partners to provide live contribution feeds. A range of international roaming SIMs has been supplied as well.
“It’s very clear the perilous place the world finds itself when it comes to the environment," said Malcolm Harland, UK country manager, LiveU. "It’s a global issue of overriding importance and continuing to raise awareness, using relatable stories, is essential. We are very happy to support this expedition and the storytelling aspect, helping to bring these messages to people as far and wide as possible. We wish all involved the best of luck."
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However, as Dench added, it also illustrates there’s still a huge amount to do as 70% of young Ospreys don’t return from migration. Importantly, the Osprey is top of the food chain and relies on a variety of habitats, including forests, freshwater and saltwater and is a good indicator of the health of those environments.
“The idea is that we are using the Osprey as an umbrella species to show the effects of climate change," Dench added. "We will be talking to people along the route, highlighting humans’ impact on the environment, the wetlands on the route being a prime example, conducting a lot of interviews as well as talking to a lot of media outlets, be they local, national and international. We will also be creating lots of video content for our platforms and our partners’ platforms. We want people to feel as if they are with us on the expedition as we make progress; we want to create visual stories that agencies like the UN can use to continue to attract the vital attention that we need on these issues.”