(November 7, 2024) - XPRIZE, the world’s leader in designing and operating large-scale incentive competitions to solve humanity’s grand challenges, has formalized a partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) that supports the development and adoption of emerging technologies developed through the XPRIZE Rainforest competition. This collaboration will deploy biodiversity assessment technologies from the XPRIZE Rainforest competition in protected areas and local communities supported by UNDP, helping to better understand, value, and protect tropical rainforests. 

XPRIZE Rainforest launched in 2019 offering $10M to competing teams with a goal to accelerate the innovation of novel technologies that rapidly and comprehensively survey biodiversity and produce impactful insights to inform conservation efforts. To win the prize, teams must survey 100 hectares of tropical rainforest in 24 hours and produce a biodiversity assessment and data insights that highlight the value of standing forests. Emerging technologies include drones, robotics, eDNA sensors, bioacoustics, camera traps, LiDAR, and multispectral imaging to achieve rapid and comprehensive biodiversity assessment. Six competitors were identified through rigorous testing to advance to the competition’s final stage which took place in July 2024 in the Brazilian Amazon. 

UNDP is the world’s leading development institution, providing support to over 140 countries on their biodiversity and ecosystem conservation efforts. This collaboration will build on ongoing programmes and projects, while also leveraging UNDP’s broad reach to support the Global Biodiversity Framework and disseminate knowledge produced through this joint effort. UNDP plans to connect validated XPRIZE Rainforest alumni teams with programs and projects where their technologies can be deployed to achieve conservation goals.

“XPRIZE Rainforest’s partnership with UNDP is exactly the type of collaboration we need to scale biodiversity assessment technologies and ensure they get into the hands of communities and organizations living and working in these essential ecosystems,” said Peter Houlihan, executive vice president, Biodiversity and Conservation, XPRIZE. “We’re incredibly grateful for their support and the connections this partnership will build between innovators and communities in need of solutions.”  

Rainforests are biodiversity hotspots, essential in climate regulation, and home to thousands of indigenous communities, but only one-third of global rainforests remain intact due to human activities that have accelerated habitat loss and climate change, risking the collapse of essential ecosystems and irreversible biodiversity loss. Emerging technologies offer a potential solution to these twin crises by enhancing our understanding of the natural world, providing tools that can accelerate its conservation, and supporting sustainable bioeconomies. 

“By supporting the implementation of validated solutions emerging from XPRIZE Rainforest, this collaboration has a great potential to empower communities to meet conservation objectives outlined in the Nature Pledge and accelerate progress towards the Global Biodiversity Framework targets and Paris Agreement,” said Midori Paxton, UNDP Nature Hub Director. “When we connect these tools to communities who have the resources to implement them, we can make a real impact.”

Made possible by support from sponsor Alana Foundation, XPRIZE Rainforest is driving significant advancements in the field of biodiversity measurement and assessment to support the preservation of rainforests globally. These new technologies are designed to support the preservation of these vital ecosystems and work collaboratively with indigenous communities to enhance their protection.

Learn more at xprize.org/rainforest.

About XPRIZE

XPRIZE is the recognized global leader in designing and executing large-scale competitions to solve humanity’s greatest challenges. For 30 years, our unique model has democratized crowd-sourced innovation and scientifically scalable solutions that accelerate a more equitable and abundant future. Donate, learn more, and co-architect a world of abundance with us at xprize.org.  

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