Wednesday, 23/10/2024

First day on-site for the team! With no events or booths to manage, we took the opportunity to attend external presentations and explore the venue.

Innovation Expo

These organizations were featured in the first rotation of the Innovation Expo:

• Basecamp Research 
• Biometrio.earth
• Corales de Paz
• Delta Environmental & Educational Foundation 
• NatureMetrics

Events in the Green Zone

• Biotope, iNaturalist, and GBIF hosted an event titled "Improving the Usability of Primary Biodiversity Data - Innovative Tools and Actions." We did not attend this session.

Events in the Blue Zone

• Establishing Collaborations on Science, Technology, and Capacity Building for Biodiversity Data - organized by the GBIF network and CBD regional support centers. This session discussed how GBIF operates and highlighted the impact of regional nodes in facilitating data sharing.
• Applying AI, Traditional Knowledge, and Earth Observation to Conserve and Restore Natural Ecosystems in the Amazon and Beyond. We did not attend this event.
• Harnessing AI for Environmental Impact - organized by AI2. We did not attend this event.

Negotiation Space

The Amazonia 1 room will serve as the center of activity in the Blue Zone in the coming days, where discussions and validations of texts for implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework will take place as COP16 progresses.

Bonus - Social Events

Some community members and CT enthusiasts enjoyed a night watching big fruit bats, Colombian food and dancing Salsa! 

Thursday, 24/10/2024

Our second day on-site and first day with our booth open! It was a busy and warm day at COP.

Innovation Expo

Today marked the second rotation of the Innovation Expo, and we had the opportunity to stand alongside these organizations:

• Bioversity International and the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture
• China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation (CBCGD)
• GSS Carbono e Bioinovação 
• Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO)

@jordantsteward from AI2 and @tom_august from UKCKH joined us at the booth to present their projects. Conservation Technologies drew interest from a wide range of attendees, including representatives from private, public, and nonprofit sectors, as well as scouts or students—many of whom were exploring this field for the first time. 

Events in the Green Zone

• Breakfast Event by Bloom at the Intercontinental: “How Companies are Unifying Technology to Make Progress on Biodiversity.”
• Event at Casa Biotope: "Drones and Biodiversity: Examples from coastal ecosystems in Germany, Colombia and the Arctic"

Events in the Blue Zone

• Charting the Future—Developing Conservation Technology for Biodiversity Monitoring: A collaborative event with partners such as the Smithsonian Institution, WWF, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Wildlife Protection Solutions. A report on this session will be coming soon.
• Harnessing IUCN tools, knowledge and networks for biodiversity knowledge management, capacity-building and technical and scientific cooperation. Link. 
• Harnessing AI for Biodiversity Impact: Hosted by AI2 and GeoBon.
• Leveraging iNaturalist Data for Global Biodiversity and Conservation: This afternoon presentation at the GeoBon/AI2 Pavilion, led by Carrie Seltzer, emphasized how citizen science contributes to generating large volumes of qualitative data for conservation.

• Innovative Solutions for Mainstreaming Biodiversity. Link. 

Negotiation Space

Daily report for October 24th available for the latest updates on negotiation progress.

Bonus / Socials

@jsulloa, leader of the Latin America group and local community member, invited Conservation Tech enthusiasts to unwind with drinks and food after a long and insightful day.

Friday, 25/10/2024

Our third day on-site and second day with the booth open.

Innovation Expo

Same rotation as yesterday, with three amazing invited partners:

• Paul Bunje from Conservation X Labs
• Jes Lefcourt from EarthRanger
• Pierre Jorcin from Spygen

Events in the Green Zone

At the end of the day, TDWG, GBIF, OBIS, and GeoBon announced their upcoming joint conference, set to take place in Bogotá next year. The announcement was made at a special event at Casa Humboldt. For more details, visit Living Data 2025.

Events in the Blue Zone

• iNaturalist Presentations: Carrie Seltzer gave two presentations about iNaturalist, highlighting an active project taking place in the Blue Zone during COP.
• EarthRanger Presentation: Jes Lefcourt presented EarthRanger at the Geo/AI2 Pavilion.
• Panel on Innovative Technologies and AI for Nature Conservation: Organized in collaboration with GWP and facilitated by @StephODonnell, this panel featured insights from @TaliaSpeaker, Tanya Berger-Wolf from Ohio State University, Jes Lefcourt from EarthRanger, and Paul Bunje from Conservation X Labs. The speakers discussed the current and future challenges facing the Conservation Technology sector, focusing on five major points:
  • Data availability, openness, and digital infrastructure
  • Tools and metrics
  • Outreach, explainability, agency, and advocacy
  • Capacity building
  • Funding and investment

• The Hotspot Stoplight: Integrated Modeling and Mapping of Climate Risk, Biodiversity Loss, and Urban Expansion: Link.

Negotiations

The daily report for October 25th is available here for updates on negotiation progress.