They will use Artificial Intelligence systems and knowledge of local communities to accelerate biodiversity conservation in Yucatan and attract economic and social opportunities for the region.
Yucatan is the first region in Latin America to be part of the Tech4Nature network, a global alliance created by IUCN and Huawei's TECH4ALL program, with the goal of increasing the success of nature conservation through digital technological innovation.
The Constitutional Governor of the State of Yucatan, along with the Vice President of Huawei Latin America; the co-founder of C Minds/AI for Climate; the representation of the IUCN Green List Ambassadors, the Rector of UPY, along with other stakeholders from all sectors, joined together to announce the launch of Tech4Nature Mexico.
The launch of Tech4Nature Mexico was attended by Mauricio Vila Dosal, Constitutional Governor of the State of Yucatan; Nadine Seleem, Program Officer of the Green List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature; Wakie Wu, Vice President of Huawei Latin America, Director of the Board of Huawei Mexico; Sayda Rodríguez, Secretary of Sustainable Development; Christopher Córdova, Co-Founder of AI for Climate and representative of C Minds and Eduardo Espadas, Rector of the Polytechnic University of Yucatán.
Tech4Nature Mexico is a multi-sector alliance that aims to accelerate the effective conservation and regeneration of biodiversity and ecosystem health by harnessing Artificial Intelligence systems, the power of community-centered approaches and multi-sector collaborations.
Through technology, monitoring strategies and understanding of the effects of climate change on ecosystems and priority species such as the jaguar will be strengthened. Work will be carried out in an important mangrove area of the Yucatan Peninsula.
Yucatan is the first region in Latin America to be part of the Tech4Nature network, a global alliance created by IUCN and Huawei's TECH4ALL program, with the goal of increasing the success of nature conservation through digital technological innovation. This project is also the first living lab of C Minds' global AI for Climate initiative.
"With this, Yucatan sets the standard throughout Latin America for the use and exploitation of these technologies for conservation projects in natural protected areas".
stated Mauricio Vila Dosal, Constitutional Governor of the State of Yucatan.
This project is led by C Minds and the Secretariat of Sustainable Development (SDS) of Yucatan. It is funded and advised by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) through Tech4Nature and by Huawei through TECH4ALL. In addition, it has the participation of the Polytechnic University of Yucatan (UPY), Rainforest Connection (RFCx), the local community and local experts.
"We hope that with the technological effort, more and more fields will be able to enjoy the benefits of technology, and just like the vision of our Tech For All initiative, to leave no one behind in the digital world."
added Wakie Wu, Vice President of Huawei Latin America, Board Director of Huawei Mexico.
This alliance will develop a series of algorithms for processing environmental data, which will be used by the government and the conservation ecosystem to streamline data-driven decision making, streamline processes and reduce costs for more effective conservation.
In turn, the models and data generated will be used by the government, researchers, students and the local community to advance their conservation strategies in the region. It will also contribute to capacity building and the preparation of talent in the use of AI systems, laying the groundwork for the use of technologies that generate a positive environmental and social impact in the región.
"This gives us hope for the conservation and sustainable use of our biodiversity, always for the benefit of our communities and all our ecosystems."
said Sayda Rodríguez, Yucatán's Secretary of Sustainable Development.
This project has the potential to position the Reserve within the global certification of the IUCN Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas, and to prepare it for the potential issuance of carbon and biodiversity bonds, adding value to the region and possible sources of resources from global environmental markets.
"One of our main goals for IUCN and C Minds is to promote conservation approaches based on the protection of human rights and the ethical and appropriate use of technologies, so encouraging local community participation in decision making and data management is critical to the success of this Project."
explained Nadine Seleem, Program Officer for the Green List of Natural and Protected Areas of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, on behalf of C Minds and AI for Climate, coordinators of the project.
For more information http://tech4nature.iucngreenlist.org/countries/mexico/ y www.forclimate.ai/tech4nature