Ten years ago, we couldn't have imagined how tools like machine learning, eDNA, and satellites would advance and transform conservation work. Now technology is advancing faster than ever, and as tools become smaller, lighter, and more affordable, it's vital to have a space where community members can discuss the next big thing, share ideas, compare tool options, and tell the story of their experiences - positive, negative, and anything in between - while using new technologies.
In 2021, the WILDLABS State of Conservation Tech report detailed what tools show the most promise according to community members, as well as what tools are currently seen as the most effective. And as new tools enter the field, we're excited to see how this data will change over time, and how this group grows over time as well.
Our State of Conservation Tech research also discusses something called the "Hype Cycle" - the pattern that occurs when a new technology bursts onto the scene, promises to be an exciting solution, encounters challenges as new users adopt the tool and put it into practice beyond just theory, and eventually settles into its most effective state as users acquire the right skills to use it to its actual potential. Machine learning, one of the most promising technologies, is currently in the middle of its own hype cycle, and we see community members working through their own hurdles to incorporate ML into their work effectively. Despite what you may think, this Hype Cycle can also be positive for tech development, as it means that users have big ideas for new tools, and with the right resources and skills, they can work toward bringing those ideas to life. And as our community members experiences the Hype Cycle for various tools at their own paces, we hope this group will also serve as a place to discuss that process and overcome hurdles together.
Ready to discover new possibilities? Join our Emerging Tech group now and get to know your forward-thinking conservation tech peers!
Header photo: Internet of Elephants
No showcases have been added to this group yet.
- @bissembert
- | he/him
ReEarth AI
Tech guy, Ethicist, Vitalist and Wanderer
- 0 Resources
- 7 Discussions
- 6 Groups
- @stefan_istrate
- | he/him
Machine Learning Researcher & Nature Photographer. Building conservation tech for biodiversity monitoring at Wildlife Insights.
- 0 Resources
- 5 Discussions
- 9 Groups
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 4 Groups
Welfare and Wildlife Conservation Data Scientist
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 7 Groups
- @MattyD797
- | He/Him
PhD Student | Cornell University | Smithsonian Institution; My focus is in computational ecology within fishery acoustics
- 0 Resources
- 16 Discussions
- 12 Groups
- @JackEdney
- | He/Him
Machine Learning Engineer specialised in computer vision and a passion for conservation and rebuilding.
- 1 Resources
- 1 Discussions
- 5 Groups
- @Rewildman
- | He/Him
Eco-entrepreneur. Concerned with the fundamental interconnectedness of all things creative and environmental.
- 0 Resources
- 2 Discussions
- 8 Groups
PhD student in animal biology working on AI for wildlife conservation
- 0 Resources
- 1 Discussions
- 7 Groups
- @szacoustics
- | he/him
Bioacoustics @CarbonRewild
- 0 Resources
- 9 Discussions
- 3 Groups
- @malikmorg
- | He/Him
Software Developer
Interested in all things technology, system design, and hardware, especially in the spaces of conservation, exploration, and the environment.
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 10 Groups
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 7 Groups
- @limburan
- | she/her
Bat Conservation Trust
Research Scientist at Bat Conservation Trust
- 0 Resources
- 0 Discussions
- 10 Groups
Careers
Software Developer - Key Conservation
Megan Cromp
Key Conservation is seeking an experienced Software Developer to join our team.
28 January 2025
Article
What Are Innovative Technologies, and Why Should Conservationists Care?
Louisa Richmond-Coggan
Conservationists use tools like drones, satellites, and camera traps to monitor ecosystems and scale their impact. But new challenges like transparency, funding gaps, and engagement remain. Web 3.0 technologies offer...
28 January 2025
Link
Professor Ed Mitchard, to discuss the role of remote sensing in forest conservation to monitor land-use change, estimate a forest carbon stock, detect forest fires, and report upon other key forest indicators.
1 November 2024
Link
Podcast: The State of Nature Tech with Gilad Goren
Anish Banerjee
In this episode join Gilad Goren, as we discuss the state of nature tech around the world ranging from nature fintech to artificial intelligence and remote sensing. We also discuss the role of NatureTech in...
1 November 2024
Careers
MS and PhD Opportunities in Ocean Engineering and Oceanography
Camille Pagniello
The Marine Innovation Lab for Leading-edge Oceanography develops hardware and software to expand the ocean observing network and for the sustainable management of natural resources. For Fall 2025, we are actively...
6 October 2024
Funding
The Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform opened it's Coral Accelerator Program 2024 for internationally collaborating teams to apply with innovative projects ranging from 'novel early-phase' to 'final...
26 August 2024
Article
Join us for Season Five of the WILDLABS Virtual Meetup Series, tuning in to the world of Bioacoustics! Laying the groundwork for our new horizon scan research, each event will convene cross-sector experts to explore a...
22 August 2024
Article
Join us in celebrating this year’s Judging Panele Award winners!
19 August 2024
Article
Join us in celebrating this year’s Community Choice Award winners!
15 August 2024
Article
Vote for your favorite submissions that best demonstrate conservation impact, novel innovation/discovery, and strong storytelling of the work and the sector.
12 August 2024
Link
AI Based Animal Detection Demo App for iPhone
Robert (Bob) Zak
In this post, I describe an animal recognition demonstration app I developed for the iPhone. The “MegaDetector-Demo” app uses the latest “MegaDetector” animal detector model from PyTorch-Wildlife to identify animals,...
11 August 2024
August 2025
event
Louisa Richmond-Coggan
September 2025
event
Louisa Richmond-Coggan
event
Louisa Richmond-Coggan
March 2026
January 2025
October 2024
| Description | Activity | Replies | Groups | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| want to join 2025 contest for humpback whale photos in Juneo Alaska of Kelp |
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Citizen Science, Conservation Tech Training and Education, Drones, Emerging Tech, Geospatial, Human-Wildlife Coexistence, Marine Conservation, Open Source Solutions | 2 days 18 hours ago | |
| This is awesome!! |
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Conservation Tech Training and Education, Drones, Emerging Tech, Geospatial, Open Source Solutions | 3 days 10 hours ago | |
| Hi There, I’m looking to connect with people working in wildlife conservation within Chile’s national parks and protected areas (... |
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Emerging Tech, Human-Wildlife Coexistence, Latin America Community | 4 days 19 hours ago | |
| This is such a compelling direction, especially the idea of linking unsupervised vocalisation clustering to generative models for controlled playback. I haven’t seen much done... |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Emerging Tech | 2 weeks 3 days ago | |
| G-DiNC 2026: Global Drones in Nature Conservation Symposium & ExpoNairobi & Naivasha, Kenya | March 3–6,... |
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Drones, AI for Conservation, Conservation Tech Training and Education, Emerging Tech, Marine Conservation, Sensors | 1 month ago | |
| Yes, thanks Riley and Kim. Someone suggested WIS and I am currently in discussions with them. Their system seems especially well suited for the purpose and I am hoping it works... |
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AI for Conservation, Emerging Tech, Sensors | 1 month 1 week ago | |
| 15 years ago I had to rebuild the dams on a game reserve I was managing due to flood damage and neglect. How I wished there was an easier,... |
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Drones, Conservation Tech Training and Education, Data management and processing tools, Emerging Tech, Geospatial, Open Source Solutions | 4 months ago | |
| I create ocean exploration and marine life content on YouTube, whether it be recording nautilus on BRUVs, swimming with endangered bowmouth... |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Animal Movement, Camera Traps, Citizen Science, Drones, Emerging Tech, Marine Conservation, Sensors, Sustainable Fishing Challenges, Wildlife Crime | 1 month 2 weeks ago | |
| Hola, Alen! I'm a veterinarian too and this device is being developed thinking of you and your colleagues. We want field veterinarians to be able to collect more samples with less... |
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Emerging Tech, eDNA & Genomics | 1 month 3 weeks ago | |
| Thank you for your reply, ChadI meant 10 as a whole, indeed. Perhaps you see your post in one group, but since it is tagged for all groups, I assumed you meant 10 in total.In your... |
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Acoustics, AI for Conservation, Animal Movement, Camera Traps, Citizen Science, Climate Change, Community Base, Connectivity, Drones, eDNA & Genomics, Emerging Tech, Funding and Finance, Geospatial, Human-Wildlife Coexistence, Software Development, Wildlife Crime | 1 month 3 weeks ago | |
| Hi Nick,Thank you for reaching out and for the incredible work you’re doing to spotlight conservation through film. We’d be very interested in learning more about your documentary... |
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AI for Conservation, Emerging Tech | 2 months ago | |
| Gina- Sounds like an interesting thesis topic! I work with bioacoustics in offshore waters and I'd be happy to have a chat and provide feedback-- feel free to message me via... |
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Emerging Tech, Acoustics, Connectivity, Marine Conservation, Sensors | 2 months ago |
Wildlife Conservation Drones & Technologies Summit 2023
16 July 2023 10:04pm
Postdoc position: study and prototype satellite-tag systems to track the movement of animals from space
11 July 2023 12:14am
pneumatic artificial muscle applications in conservation tech?
5 July 2023 6:59pm
13th International Symposium on Digital Earth
4 July 2023 2:51pm
The role of low-code Earth observation tools in accelerating the sustainability transition
30 June 2023 2:13pm
The role of low-code Earth observation tools in accelerating the sustainability transition | Reports & Guides | Earth Blox
https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/60d1d38b8d988b72add3acc5/6819f4399e4c82c7333d3f0b_Reports%20-%20EO%20white%20paper.png
Sustained Effort: The Environmentalist’s Dilemma
21 June 2023 9:00am
Information Session: Technology Testing to Mitigate Human-Elephant Conflict in West Bengal
19 June 2023 11:07pm
Innovation wanted: Technology Testing to Mitigate Human-Elephant Conflict in West Bengal
19 June 2023 10:54pm
The Wildlife Society Conference
19 June 2023 5:59am
How tech is changing the way Singapore manages parks and gardens
12 June 2023 5:11am
How tech is changing the way Singapore manages parks and gardens | Government Technology Agency (GovTech)
From drones inspecting trees 🌳 to mobile apps fostering citizen science 📱, explore the future of green spaces in Singapore.
Apply for the Google for Startups Accelerator: Climate Change Middle East & Africa Program
9 June 2023 1:54pm
Wildlife Monitoring Engineer
8 June 2023 4:54pm
ISO Speakers for Emerging Technologies class.
31 May 2023 4:29pm
2 June 2023 2:08pm
Carly, that would be great! Thanks! I work with soundscapes and love the work of Rainforest Connection! I'll send you an email (@CUNY) to coordinate!
Ashored Innovations: Hardware and Software for Sustainable Fishing
1 June 2023 9:46pm
Climasens: Using technology to understand and respond to climate change
30 May 2023 12:36pm
Climasens: Using technology to understand and respond to climate change | Humanitech | Australian Red Cross
Climasens offers a location-based climate intelligence platform to identify climate risks on people and planet. Partnering with Red Cross, the organisatoins piloted a project to co-develop a mapping tool to identify exactly where particular people may be most at-risk during heatwaves in South Australia, overlaying climate data with population health and social information.
AirSeed: Drone planting takes flight to promote reforestation in flood-affected NSW
30 May 2023 12:28pm
AirSeed: Drone planting takes flight to promote reforestation in flood-affected NSW | Humanitech | Australian Red Cross
AirSeed has developed a unique approach to tackle climate change and restore biodiversity by combining drone technology, machine learning, and seed pod biotechnology. To validate whether this approach could be delivered in partnership with disaster-affected communities to support local regeneration efforts, AirSeed collaborated with landholders impacted by landslides in northern NSW.
Creating digital solutions to help people and nature thrive: Lessons from the frontline
29 May 2023 7:02am
31 May 2023 10:51pm
10 AI for the Planet Projects you should be excited about
25 May 2023 11:07am
FieldKit: Accessible Sensor Technology for All
23 May 2023 10:26pm
Field Surveyor
16 May 2023 4:06pm
Lecturer/Associate Professor of Ecology and Innovative Technologies
16 May 2023 9:25am
Deadline Approaching: Conservation Tech Award
15 May 2023 10:21pm
NERC Digital Gathering 2023
15 May 2023 1:42pm
Women in Tech Festival 2023
12 May 2023 1:43pm
Introducing the 2023 Conservation Tech Showcase
11 May 2023 5:06pm
2023 F5 Tech for Good Grant Application Now Open
10 May 2023 12:28pm
ICCB 2023 WILDLABS Workshop: Bridging Sectors for Movement Ecology Innovation
9 May 2023 8:37pm
Development of average speed devices
GRO is the story of what on Earth is going on
5 May 2023 1:50pm
31 May 2023 10:21pm
Definitely interested! I'm in the ecoacoustics/acoustic monitoring space, working at Rainforest Connection and Arbimon.