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Our CEO Burhan Yassin engaged in an insightful interview with the statistical journalist at The Markup Natasha Uzcátegui-Liggett, in which they discussed the role of AI in conservation, how Rainforest Connection & Arbimon work to bridge the knowledge gap between scientific institutions and the public, and why AI on its own is not enough to generate real-world impact.
“We have, I would say, the biggest collection of soundscape data that ever existed, and it is quite underutilized on a global level at the moment.”
Bourhan Yassin
Researchers use a special platform, in addition to recorders, to monitor species, such as the endangered bird, throughout the archipelago.
Supported by artificial intelligence, scientists validated the presence of Puerto Rican parrots in Maricao , where biologists and state and federal natural resource conservation agencies seek to establish a permanent population of the endangered bird.
Rainforest Connection has been building AI models of biodiversity hotspots around the world using bio-acoustic data and makes its datasets publicly accessible through its online cloud-based platform Arbimon (Automated Remote Biodiversity Monitoring Network).
Read moreEco-acoustics and artificial intelligence help stop harmful activity in rainforests.
When people call to mind the sounds of rainforests, they likely drum up ideas of peaceful rains, gently rustling leaves, and a chorus of vibrant wildlife. But there are also disturbing sounds that are not often heard or thought of — noises of intruders on paths of destruction.
Arbimon: Smart, open, and free.
The increased accessibility of artificial intelligence and the increased processing capabilities of cloud-based solutions are making biodiversity monitoring significantly more inclusive for individuals and organizations across the world.
Rainforest Connection has developed Arbimon, an open and free-to-use platform that provides an end-to-end solution for acoustic biodiversity monitoring and insights.
The issue of nature-positive action, to halt and reverse the destruction of nature by 2030, was front and center at New York Climate Week.
More than 90 leaders and experts from business, science, NGO, and youth groups released an open letter that urged UNFCCC Parties to deliver on their climate and biodiversity commitments and disclose their implementation plans as part of the Global Stocktake.
Rainforest Connection is helping local groups listen for endangered species and recommend new lands for preservation.
Using AI and bioacoustic listening devices, Google.org grantee Rainforest Connection and their local partners are listening to the rainforest to protect and preserve these valuable ecosystems.
Researchers from environment nonprofit Rainforest Connection and Google.org, the tech company’s philanthropy branch, said they have found a way to use AI to monitor and conserve species in threatened ecosystems as rainforests bear the brunt of impacts from hazards like global warming, deforestation and development.
“Now, with the use of AI, we’re able to analyze hundreds of thousands of recordings,” Bourhan Yassin, CEO of Rainforest Connection, told ABC News.. “
Chrissy Durkin shared how Rainforest Connection uses small, unobtrusive devices to assess ecosystem composition. The company trains people to use simple audio recording systems, the results of which are uploaded to an open-source platform. This data is designed for collaboration – it can be integrated with other datasets for maximum impact.
Read moreThis week world leaders from 193 countries gathered in New York for the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), where implementing the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was center stage.
Rainforest Connection’s CEO Bourhan Yassin, speaks at the UN SDG Pavilion about how AI can detect threats, such as illegal logging, and monitor biodiversity to fight deforestation and climate change.
