IUCN and Huawei Launch Tech4Nature Publication to Showcase Best Practices in Technology-based Nature Conservation

GLAND, Switzerland, Oct. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Huawei launched a PANORAMA Tech4Nature – Solutions in Focus publication today, showcasing the role of technology in achieving effective nature conservation outcomes in 22 projects across 19 countries.

The cases referenced in the publication were selected from over 50 solutions that address six major conservation challenges. These challenges include the management of protected areas, monitoring species, cultivating community involvement, and financing conservation action.

"There is a clear growing momentum and buy-in from the conservation community to use more technology but also to develop and create new ways it can be applied. The appropriate deployment of technology will help ensure more sustained benefits from its application to achieve fair and effective conservation action," said James Hardcastle, Head of IUCN Protected and Conserved Areas.

Projects running in Mexico and China are two typical cases included in the publication. In Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, a solution has been deployed to monitor the jaguar population and its prey through a networked system of camera traps and acoustic monitoring, with AI algorithms trained to detect and identify individual jaguars. The data provided will also deliver insights into how climate change is impacting priority ecosystems on the north coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. A key aspect of this project is community involvement in the whole project cycle to boost overall outcomes.

In China, a smart fire prevention system designed to protect giant panda habitats has been deployed in various locations, including Tangjiahe national nature reserve, a site that is on the IUCN Green List. In Sichuan's panda habitats, satellite images are analysed in real time to detect possible fires. Risks can be rapidly verified and alerts instantly sent to rangers on the ground. In 2021, the system resulted in a 71% reduction of serious fires.

To support the uptake and replicability of technology-based solutions, the publication includes a detailed description of the success factors for each case study. It also provides both a framework of a technological solution architecture and a checklist to help new implementers of technology solutions ensure that deployment is appropriate and able to overcome conservation challenges.

The publication also highlights existing gaps in understanding how technology impacts both wildlife and people, and emphasizes the need for transparency, inclusivity, and responsibility when deploying technology-based solutions.

"Digital technology is a key enabler of conserving nature. With more and more deployment of technology and multi-sector collaborations, we believe that the efficiency and effect of nature conservation shall be improved continuously," said Catherine Du, Head of Huawei's TECH4ALL program.

Launched by IUCN and Huawei, Tech4Nature is developing digital solutions to pilot in five flagship countries: Switzerland, Spain, Mauritius, Mexico and China. The program aims to cover more than 300 protected areas worldwide by 2023 and evaluate conservation success through the IUCN Green List Standard. 

Aiming to provide guidance on appropriate use of technology in area-based conservation and directly involve the ICT industry in supporting nature conservation outcomes, Tech4Nature – Solutions in Focus comes as the first publication under the IUCN-Huawei partnership.

The initiative itself is also the first time that IUCN has embarked on a major partnership with the ICT industry, combining the organisation's extensive standards, knowledge, and experience with the conservation with innovations made possible by technology.

IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together.

Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world's largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and some 17,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards.

IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous people's organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.

Working with many partners and supporters, IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide. Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities, these projects work to reverse habitat loss, restore ecosystems and improve people's well-being.

The IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas initiative is increasing and recognising the number of Protected and Conserved Areas around the world that are fairly governed and effectively managed to achieve successful conservation outcomes. 

At the heart of the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas (IUCN Green List) initiative is the only global standard for best practice in effective area-based conservation. It is a certification system for protected and conserved areas – national parks, natural World Heritage sites, community conserved areas, nature reserves – that are evaluated to be effectively managed and fairly. The full list of sites on the IUCN Green List is available here.  

Founded in 1987, Huawei is a leading global provider of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and smart devices. We have more than 197,000 employees, and we operate in more than 170 countries and regions, serving more than three billion people around the world.

Our vision and mission is to bring digital to every person, home and organization for a fully connected, intelligent world. To this end, we will drive ubiquitous connectivity and promote equal access to networks; bring cloud and artificial intelligence to all four corners of the earth to provide superior computing power where you need it, when you need it; build digital platforms to help all industries and organizations become more agile, efficient, and dynamic; redefine user experience with AI, making it more personalized for people in all aspects of their life, whether they're at home, in the office, or on the go.

TECH4ALL is Huawei's long-term digital inclusion initiative that aims to leave no one behind in the digital world. In the environment domain, TECH4ALL focuses on safeguarding biodiversity. To date, we have worked with partners such as IUCN and Rainforest Connection, as well as many local partners, to apply digital technologies, such as telecommunications networks, IoT, cloud, and AI, to protect forests, oceans, and wetlands in more than 15 countries.

For more information, please visit Huawei TECH4ALL website at https://www.huawei.com/en/tech4all, or follow us on:
https://twitter.com/HUAWEI_TECH4ALL 

PANORAMA – Solutions for a Healthy Planet is a partnership initiative to document and promote examples of inspiring, replicable solutions across a range of conservation and sustainable development topics, enabling cross-sectoral learning and inspiration.

PANORAMA allows practitioners to share and reflect on their experiences, increase recognition for successful work, and to learn with their peers how similar challenges have been addressed around the globe. 

Different thematic disciplines and communities contribute to PANORAMA. On the web platform, these communities are represented through portals. As PANORAMA evolves, we welcome additional themes and new partners.