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Smart Solutions for Invasive Species: The Myna Trap Challenge

How might we develop smart traps to capture the common Myna (Arcidotheres tristis) - an invasive bird in Qatar?

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Ana maria Garcia, Isack Abduba, Salihu Abdullahi bilazi and others are enlisted in the challenge

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Smart Solutions for Invasive Species: The Myna Trap Challenge

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Challenge Statement

Innovative Solutions to Real-World Problems: Explore How You Can Make an Impact

How might we develop smart traps to capture the common Myna (Arcidotheres tristis) - an invasive bird in Qatar?

Potential solutions we can look at could include (but should not be limited to):

AI-driven species identification: cameras and AI algorithms will analyse bird’s physical characteristics and behaviour to ensure that only Myna’s are trapped, while non-target species are released.

Sensors and motion detectors: infrared or pressure sensors will trigger the trap only when the target species is detected.

Automated reset and remote monitoring: the trap will reset itself after each capture, with real -time notifications sent to a mobile or web platform for remote monitoring and data collection.

Lura systems: the use of sound technology (pre-recorded Myna calls) and food bait (breadcrumbs, fruit) to attract the birds.

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Developing smart traps for invasive Birds: common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)

How might we develop smart traps to capture the common Myna (Arcidotheres tristis) - an invasive bird in Qatar?

The common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) is an invasive bird species in Qatar and poses significant ecological challenges. Its aggressive behaviour and adaptability disrupt local ecosystems, threaten native bird species, and cause damage to agricultural sectors. The birds currently are prevalent in multiple different provinces around the country and cause the following issues:

1. They compete with local birds and hence threaten the natural biodiversity

2. They nest with other birds and specifically tend to nest in AC units or pipelines causing damage to buildings

3. They can be aggressive towards humans as well as other animals

MOECC is therefore looking for solution providers that can come up with novel solutions to help trap the Myna at scale.

Currently, the ministry relies on manual methods to attract the Common Myna bird using metal traps (cages), which have proven to be somewhat successful but with limited numbers captured (~500 birds in 130 cages in 2 locations per month). Traditional control methods are labour-intensive, non-selective, and often harmful to non-target species. A more sustainable, efficient, and humane solution is needed to address this growing problem.

We have previously tried the following methods unsuccessfully:
1. Attracting the birds through bird sounds. These methods turned out to be too noisy
2. Hunting nets. After a while, these hunting nets were no longer effective since birds will notice the behavior of other birds and therefore cannot be trapped anymore
3. Birth control medication or drugs. We observed certain side effects here that were not acceptable to MOECC
4. Drones. There were issues with the security legislation to be able to implement drone technology properly

MOECC is open for any type of solution that can help us effectively capture birds without killing them. Even though we have tried multiple solutions before, we invite solution providers with a wide variety of potential solutions to apply.

Potential solutions we can look at could include (but should not be limited to):
AI-driven species identification: cameras and AI algorithms will analyse bird’s physical characteristics and behaviour to ensure that only Myna’s are trapped, while non-target species are released.
Sensors and motion detectors: infrared or pressure sensors will trigger the trap only when the target species is detected.
Automated reset and remote monitoring: the trap will reset itself after each capture, with real -time notifications sent to a mobile or web platform for remote monitoring and data collection.
Lura systems: the use of sound technology (pre-recorded Myna calls) and food bait (breadcrumbs, fruit) to attract the birds.
Finally, please note that MOECC is open for solutions that could either be implemented with existing cages or alternatively, for solutions that are completely novel, depending on the effectiveness.

Technical Requirements:

Developing semi or fully autonomous trapping / smart cages to selectively identify and trap the common myna bird
Attain a capture efficiency of >90% based on >100,000 counted birds
Capability to capture >1000 birds per month in 10 locations in future scaleup
Non-lethal trapping technology
Ideally solutions are developed for close to human settlements (public gardens, residential areas etc.)
Minimal impact on other bird species
Minimization of bycatch
A reporting system with dashboards to monitor the performance and to track progress
Eventually, the system would have to be integrated with the surrounding environment. Even though aesthetics is less important than functionality, it is still a requirement to be taken into consideration

Performance Requirements:

MOECCis not able to provide specific performance criteria as these will be very solution specific. Performance criteria will be generically evaluated by:

Return on Investments (ROI)
Lifetime of the solution

Cost targets will be determined on a case-by-case basis. Ideally, the solution or final product should not cost more than $300

Phase 1: POC development: Q3-Q4 2025
Phase 2: Commercial roll-out: to be determined on a case-by-case basis, target implementation by Q1 2026

If the solution is successful, MOECC is willing to support further deployment in all locations. We also encourage solution providers to explore further deployment with other industry players. Additionally, we wish to note that this problem exists in other countries in the gulf as well. We therefore believe other countries would be looking for similar solutions as well. With MOECC alone, we would be looking at potentially installing 10,000 cages.

Cash contributions from QRDI:
Up to 100,000 USD to support the POC development depending on the project proposal

In-kind contributions:

Mentorship and support for solution development
Access to relevant datasets
Access to pilot site(s)

We are looking for SMEs and startups with solutions that can be implemented in a relatively short-time frame (TRL of 5 and higher).

For Background IP (BIP), both parties will retain their respective IPs bought into the project. In the event of new Foreground IP (FIP) creation, ownership will be discussed on a case-by-case basis.

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