AI conservation trends: Xylo Systems co-founder Camille Goldstone-Henry on what to expect in 2023

Floods, bushfires, heatwaves, disease; climate change is here. Along with climate change, biodiversity loss is one of the most significant risks to people and the planet over the next decade.

Biodiversity, or the diversity of all life that makes up our functioning ecosystems, underpins our global food systems, our economy and our planetary stability.

The World Economic Forum estimated that over $44 trillion of economic value generation (or half of the world’s GDP) is reliant on nature and its services. In contrast, there is an $824 billion nature funding gap putting that $44 trillion of economic value provided by nature at risk.

Species extinctions are accelerating. More than 1 million species are threatened with extinction, including our very own koala. Through transformative change, there is still time to conserve and restore our earth’s biodiversity.

At a critical time for wildlife, we also find ourselves in a time of drastic technological progress. Could rich data and artificial intelligence be the key to rapidly saving threatened species?

Conservation technology and data have become increasingly important in recent years as a way to better understand ecosystems and preserve species. We’re seeing an explosion in the use of conservation technology globally.

Tech now allows us to collect vast amounts of data on the movements, populations, and health of various species and ecosystems.

Data can then be used to identify important habitats, species distribution and migration patterns that are critical for the survival of species, at both the hyper-local and global level.

Watch for these conservation technologies to gain momentum in 2023:

eDNA and cloud genomics

eDNA (or environmental DNA) and cloud genome computing offer an unprecedented opportunity to monitor species at the molecular level. eDNA allows us to understand what species are in the area from soil, water or even air samples thanks to residual DNA. Cloud tech can also assist here, by reducing genome analysis time from 10 days to five hours.

Genomes help us to understand every gene involved in how an organism looks, behaves, responds to disease, copes with climate stress, and more. With these two technologies, we can detect and understand species better than ever before, offering insights on how best to conserve them and their habitats. Bioplatforms, in partnership with The University of Sydney and AWS, is an Australian company that is using the cloud to make genetic data for Australia’s key threatened species publicly available and usable by anyone in science.

Artificial intelligence and computer vision

Artificial intelligence is increasingly used to analyse large amounts of conservation data, such as camera traps, satellite and drone images or audio and video recordings, and improve wildlife identification and monitoring. Computer vision-based solutions can save invaluable hours & costs in manually processing unstructured biodiversity data, such as tagging fish species from underwater camera videos.

These solutions are predicted to deliver cost savings of up to 80% for biodiversity monitoring. Wildlife Insights is a great example of the use of machine learning to identify animals in camera trap images. Thousands of images can be instantly tagged within minutes. 

Advanced analytics

Big data and advanced analytics can help monitor the effectiveness of conservation strategies. By using data to track the health and population of species, we can assess the effectiveness of efforts and make adjustments as needed. Data analytics can help to ensure that conservation efforts are effective and efficient, ensuring that our finite conservation dollars are going as far as possible. At Xylo Systems, we aggregate conservation data to draw insights into conservation efforts and provide recommendations on how to optimise biodiversity preservation.

Networked sensors

Networked sensors, including camera traps, bioacoustics and satellite tracking, offer a more accurate and efficient system of monitoring species, particularly in remote locations. Previously, conservations would have done monitoring manually on the ground. Networked sensors offer us an incredible capacity to monitor anywhere, anytime. Ceres Tag is a great example of a company creating innovative satellite tracking technology to understand wildlife movements in real time.

Nature positive: The biggest trend of all?

The biggest trend of all is the mainstream uptake of biodiversity monitoring and management. Conservation technology, data and the preservation of species have long been held in the hands of researchers, not-for-profits and governments. In 2023, all of this will change as we see the nature positive movement gain momentum globally.

“Nature positive” is a term that refers to the idea of businesses taking steps to not only reduce their negative impact on the natural environment but to actively support and enhance the health and wellbeing of the natural world. Nature positive is an important concept for businesses to consider as a way to reduce costs, mitigate risks, and improve their reputation. By taking steps to support and enhance the natural world, companies can create long-term value for themselves and for the planet.

The first step in becoming nature positive? Tracking biodiversity footprints, understanding ecosystems, and implementing efficient and effective biodiversity regeneration strategies into operations. All of this will require technology and data. In 2023, we will see a huge number of businesses turn to smart conservation tech and data to support their commitments to biodiversity.

Camille Goldstone-Henry is co-founder and CEO of Xylo Systems, a cloud-based platform for any organisation to easily manage and measure their biodiversity impact.