Camera trap and remote monitoring technologies have transformed wildlife research, but their widespread deployment raises ethical questions about wildlife disturbance and data use.
The ethics of wildlife monitoring technology involves balancing the knowledge gained — which ultimately benefits species conservation — against the direct and indirect welfare impacts of monitoring deployment. Camera traps, when properly positioned and maintained, cause minimal welfare harm and generate enormous scientific value. The more significant welfare concern is the capture and handling required for GPS collaring and biologging devices, which must be justified by the scientific questions addressed and cannot be avoided through remote technology for some research objectives. As remote sensing and environmental DNA technologies develop, the scope for non-invasive wildlife monitoring will continue to expand, reducing reliance on capture-based methods.