SmartBeetle - Smell-based Molecular Artificial intelligence to Fight Bark Beetles

Project Details

Description

In the last few years, there has been an increase in temperatures and a change in the course of
precipitation in essentially all of Central Europe; the result was a period of extreme drought. The
resulting situation was very stressful for existing forest stands; on the contrary, such conditions were
ideal for the development of some types of insects, and especially the European spruce bark beetle
(Ips typographus). This is why large-scale forest dieback also occurred in the target areas of Austria
and the Czech Republic. At the same time, forests play a vital role in the local landscape, both in
terms of surface area and the fulfillment of a number of key functions (e.g. they store carbon,
positively influence the microclimate, soil condition, water availability in the landscape, biodiversity
and last but not least, they produce wood material and are a popular destination for recreational
activities). Sudden large-scale forest die-off disrupts the fulfillment of all these functions. Therefore,
it is in the interest of society as a whole to prevent, or at least slow down, the large-scale dying of
forests.
The current solution is based on the timely search and removal of infested trees; other methods (use
of pesticides, pheromone traps and others) can be considered supplementary or monitoring in the
situation. In any case, it proved to be insufficiently effective in the new conditions. The reason for this
poor efficiency can be found, among other things, in the lack of further development of pheromones.
For example, the same attractant Pheroprax A has been used for decades.
The goal of the SMARTbeetle project is therefore more effective and specific protection of the
forests in the target area against the calamitous spread of the bark beetle. We see a way to achieve
this goal in improving the effectiveness of attractants in pheromone traps ("pheromones"). The
combination of modern methods of biology and artificial intelligence (AI) makes it possible to design
an entire mixture of substances optimized for a specific species (European spruce bark beetle); this
should both substantially increase the effectiveness of the traps and at the same time minimize the
risks of harming non-target species. This measure will make it possible to stop or slow down the
development of the bark beetle population and thereby reduce the number of attacked trees and the
rate of forest death; in addition, it will be a method that is friendly to non-target organisms, which will
also contribute to a lower use of pesticides. In the conditions of ongoing climate change, forests and
their managers would thus gain more time to smoothly transform into a form that is more in line with
current environmental conditions, i.e. especially diversifying the structure and species composition of
future forests.
Short titleSmartBeetle
StatusActive
Effective start/end date01.12.202430.11.2028

Funding agency

  • Interreg Österreich - Tschechien 2021-2027

UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This project contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 13 - Climate Action
  • SDG 15 - Life on Land

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