We will finally be able to apply management systems based on a substantial understanding of how these plants function in their environment. The first challenge is to make good observations of our rare plants. We will trigger the cameras periodically and sometimes in response to specific events. Our second challenge is to spread out a network of digital weather instruments to measure the environment. We need to get the instruments that measure rainfall, wind, temperature, humidity and solar radiation, into appropriate places.
Rare plants are often in microhabitats.
We need to measure what is inside these habitats, as well as what is happening in the surrounding areas. The third challenge involves the physical communications environment. We need to gather information from a variety of locations and move it back to a place where it can be interpreted. The communication environment concerns are complex because of considerations for an actual deployment. Since we will test the system s ability to monitor rare plants, we will need to place our equipment in a variety of habitats, ranging from scattered low shrubs to dense tropical forests.