‘Tech4Nature’ is a global partnership to scale up success in nature conservation through digital technology innovation. Created by IUCN and the Huawei TECH4ALL programme, Tech4Nature is designed as an open partnership to apply and promote digital solutions for fair and effective protected areas.

Tech4Nature aims to enable more than 300 protected areas worldwide to evaluate their conservation success through the IUCN Green List Standard by 2023. This growing partnership will provide guidance on the appropriate use of technology in area-based conservation and directly involve the ICT industry sector in supporting nature conservation.

In this context, and building up on the success of the 2021 Pathfinder Awards and its ‘Technology for Nature’ category, we are collecting examples of best practices and case studies to document and promote in a dedicated ‘Tech4Nature – Solutions in Focus’ publication. This publication is meant to inspire and present a portfolio of successful examples of how technology can help conserve nature.

The case studies will need to follow the PANORAMA FULL solution format and be uploaded on the platform. PANORAMA – Solutions for a Healthy Planet is a partnership initiative to document and promote examples of inspiring, replicable solutions across a range of conservation and sustainable development topics, enabling cross-sectoral learning and inspiration.

We are looking for solutions that demonstrate innovative use of technology in and around protected and conserved areas in at least one of the following ways:

• Helps people to safely and sustainably access and benefit from nature
• Protects and nurtures wildlife and natural values
• Generates impactful knowledge and research into biodiversity conservation

These technology solutions should be used to advance specific conservation impact goals, such as, but not limited to:

• Monitoring of different conservation values
• Involving and empowering the local community through different conservation activities and projects
• Threat detection and quick alert systems to avoid and mitigate damage to the different natural values of the sites
• Facilitating access to the site and engaging with visitors
• Or other relevant use

We welcome all types of technology used for these solutions, whether they are digital: e.g. software, computer or mobile apps, digital platforms, etc.; physical: e.g. hardware, camera traps, acoustic sensors, other materials and tools, infrastructure, etc., or hybrid: e.g. hardware or material linked to a digital platform.

The solution must be completed with clear results, or under implementation with a certain level of accomplishment. Innovative ideas that are not yet fully developed and/or implemented won’t be considered.

Please submit your draft FULL solution directly on the PANORAMA web platform (Contribute Solution | PANORAMA) by 11 April 2022 – Select “Protected and conserved areeas” portal on the first page on the template. More information on how to upload a solution on PANORAMA can be found here.

Once that is done, email the IUCN Green List team (greenlist@iucn.org), with the title of your solution and “Tech4Nature” in the subject.

Your draft solution will go through the regular PANORAMA review process and you will be contacted is revisions are needed.

We will be hosting a small 1h-webinar on the 16 March 2022 at 10:00 and at 15:00 CET on how to submit a solution on the PANORAMA Platform.

• REGISTER HERE FOR THE 10:00 CET Session

• REGISTER HERE FOR THE 15:00 CET Session

Download the Call for solutions in a pdf here.

Photo: Scott Trageser