MPA student Isabella Manghi reflects on her interest in Digital Conservation which she explored as part of her Digital Technology and Public Policy degree at UCL STEaPP.

© Isabella Manghi

The effects of the climate crisis together with factors such as the expanding human population, pollution, and a lack of sustainable development have led to the endangerment of many species. Biologists, researchers, charities and international organisations are desperately fighting to preserve our biodiversity and therefore proving essential to research on behavioural patterns and the effects of the climate on different species.

Biologists, organisations and charities have traditionally employed locals to track certain animals, but recently, digital tracking, which can take the form of mounting collars onto animals, has emerged as a method to facilitate crucial knowledge production within the conservation community. Through the application of technological, inter-connected systems, the opportunities to study diverse species have increased. Yet, there are eminent problems associated with these systems, many of which are vulnerable to exploitation and misuse, including allowing poachers to track down and hunt endangered species to the benefit of their bank account.

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Blog by Zoey Barthelemy, MPA Candidate in UCL STEaPP

Policy forums act as a platform for different stakeholders to exchange, learn, and most importantly build trust. Most policy platforms are issue-based with support from both political and civil society actors with a stated objective.

When it comes to internet governance, policy forums are a very important element for the multi-stakeholder governance system. The main policy forum each year is the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). A series of policy forums take place in the lead up to each year’s IGF to foster trust, discussion, and exchange among the different communities. This year I had the opportunity to participate in an internet governance policy forum, EuroDIG 2019, as part of the annual YOUthDIG fellowship program.

What is EuroDIG and YOUthDIG?

EuroDIG is a Pan-European dialogue on internet governance (IG) that aims to be more than a conference but a year-round ongoing platform for discuss. This year was the 13th edition, which took place at the World Forum The Hague in The Netherlands from 19 – 20 June. The theme this year was “Cooperating in the Digital Age” to highlight opportunities for multi-stakeholder process.

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