AgTech in climate change Protecting biodiversity is only one area where agtech holds excellent promise. Is it possible to trust their promises, or are they too fantastic to be true? World leaders and politicians are looking for novel and imaginative solutions to the problems of biodiversity loss and climate change, which have less than a decade to be mitigated. Digital technologies have been talked about a lot in the halls and meeting rooms of COP conferences around the world to deal with these interconnected environmental problems. A beta version of Nature4Climate’s new online platform (nature base) to assist decision-makers in implementing natural climate solutions was showcased at COP27. They also showed the new Global Renewable Energy Watch off; this project is a collaboration between The Nature Conservancy, Microsoft, and Planet. At a recent event in the Nature Zone, Nature4Climate and Capital for Climate released a report on the size and potential of the entire “nature tech” business, capturing this growing trend. The Nature4Climate coalition of 20 environmental organizations unveiled their new online platform to help implement natural climate solutions at the latest COP15 climate conference in Montreal. A market research report on the “nature tech” industry was also on display. NatureMetrics, a supplier of nature intelligence technologies, unveiled a new digital dashboard at the COP15 biodiversity conference in Montreal. This dashboard will allow for uniform measurements of ecosystem health. Many people, however, see these initiatives as an unsafe push to get unproven corporate technologies recognized as “nature-positive answers” in the Convention on Biological Diversity and climate negotiations. Based on our research into the role of technology in monitoring biodiversity and managing protected areas, we found that these digital technologies have the potential to help if they are developed and used ethically with Indigenous Peoples.

What is the Nature4Climate Naturebase Tool?

When completed, Naturebase will serve as a web-based resource for assisting policymakers in implementing Natural Climate Solutions. To protect, manage, and restore nature for demonstrable climate benefits, Naturebase will provide information based on science. Naturebase, which collects the most recent research, policies, and feasibility factors, can help decision-makers, practitioners, resource managers, and investors figure out what to do in the short term. Farmers, foresters, governments, and communities will learn where the best places are to use natural climate solutions to meet their own climate goals while also considering local conditions and priorities. Users will look for and evaluate potential sites in forests, wetlands, grasslands, and agricultural lands. They will consider land tenure, opportunity cost, alternative ways to finance, and enabling conditions. Naturebase will be the most complete list of ongoing efforts to use natural solutions to climate change.

What Can Naturebase Do for The Climate?

Protecting, managing, and restoring ecosystems sustainably are all examples of nature-based solutions that help people deal with social problems in a better and more flexible way. They are based on research that shows how a healthy ecosystem can help fight climate change, lower the risk of disasters, make sure people have enough food and water, and improve human health. NCS could help with adapting to climate change, protecting biodiversity, and making sure people are healthy and happy. Naturebase accomplishes this through a variety of related projects, such as:

• Over 800,000 papers on the co-benefits of NCS on biodiversity and human well-being are mapped using machine learning for systematization.
• Assessing the effects of demonstration projects on biodiversity and human well-being in peatland restoration, agroforestry, and mangrove restoration and conservation.
• Using models of ecological services and landscape connectivity, we can figure out how different NCS pathways affect human adaptation and biodiversity on a global scale.

Together, these deliverables give policymakers the evidence they need to decide if and how implementing NCS can improve the well-being of both people and nature.