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AI Forum

Submission on use of emerging technologies to enhance biodiversity

Te Papa Atawhai Department of Conservation (DOC) and Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (Toitū Te Whenua) are producing a joint Long-term Insights Briefing (LTIB) that looks at how we can help biodiversity thrive through the innovative use of information and emerging technologies.

The initial public consultation undertaken in November 2021, was intended to capture the opportunity new technologies present to scale up conservation efforts over the longer term.

They found that three areas of transformation stood out as having particular promise for biodiversity conservation:

  • Satellite imagery and remote sensing (for much greater environmental monitoring and surveillance).
  • AI and data-driven technologies (for collecting and analysing vast quantities of data).
  • Genetic technologies (for new realms of environmental monitoring and management).

In November 2022 they published a draft briefing that covered what they had learned. They called for a second consultation (ending 16 January 2023) that asked if the draft LTIB covered the key components needed to support a national conversation about potential tools for biodiversity management in the future.

You can read our submission, in collaboration with AI Alliance for Biodiversity, here: 

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