Conservation organisations have always used technology to advance their work – and many of the rapid advancements in recent years are potential game-changers. From artificial intelligence to drones, satellites, and sensors, technology is helping develop sustainable food systems, protect marine areas, and more. At this year’s World Conservation Congress, such innovations are being actively explored through the Members Assembly, Forum and Exhibition. At the same time, the Congress offers space to confront the environmental risks of these technologies – from greenhouse gas emissions to water consumption and e-waste – and to consider how we can use them more responsibly.
Many of today’s conservation tools focus on monitoring, prediction, and optimisation. AI, satellite data, bioacoustics, environmental DNA, and drones are making it easier to gather and analyse information about species and ecosystems. Emerging innovations – like using AI to scan news and social media for insights about environmental successes, opportunities, and threats – are increasingly accessible and effective. Even simple tools, such as using QR codes to facilitate data collection, analysis and information dissemination, are enhancing transparency and operational efficiency.
Navigating the Challenges
These advances are invaluable, but they also raise important questions. One is the imbalance between what we can monitor at the planetary scale, like land cover and emissions, and what we can measure at the habitat or species level. Long-standing satellite systems such as Landsat and Copernicus give us decades of consistent environmental data, but no equivalent exists for biodiversity data. Integrating satellite, drone and in-situ data is bringing us closer to that goal, but much work remains.
Another challenge is inequitable access to and control of conservation data. While technology has the power to empower, it can also exclude. Many Indigenous peoples and local communities – key partners in conservation – face barriers to accessing or governing data about their lands. Encouragingly, several Indigenous-led organisations are working to change this, using technology to uphold data rights and developing new tools rooted in Indigenous worldviews. These efforts exemplify the kind of bold, inclusive leadership that must guide the future of conservation innovation - ensuring that technological advances are shaped by and serve those most closely connected to nature.
The environmental footprint of technology itself also demands scrutiny. The rapid growth of data centres driven by artificial intelligence and cloud computing has increased harmful emissions and water use, despite sustainability commitments by tech companies. Some argue that future efficiency gains will offset these impacts, while others downplay them by comparing data centre energy use to everyday activities like cooking or watching television. At WWF, we’re carefully evaluating these claims and working to understand our own technology footprint, with a goal of achieving net-positive technology use. We encourage other organisations to do the same.
All this adds up to a broader challenge: how to create technologies that are both accessible and sustainable. The current infrastructure of silicon-based hardware, centralised data services, and centralised power systems may not be the best long-term solution. Early-stage alternatives, such as locally powered, organic-based technologies, could one day offer a more sustainable path.
Evaluating Impact
Conservation organisations must also sharpen how they evaluate the return on investment for various technologies. As we move to more precise systems, we need clearer methods for assessing when higher resolution data or advanced algorithms meaningfully improve conservation outcomes, and when the extra cost is not justifiable.
Finally, emerging fields such as robotics, augmented reality, synthetic biology, and interspecies communication are beginning to touch conservation. Each brings ethical questions and technical challenges. It's encouraging that the World Conservation Congress is already engaging on topics like synthetic biology – particularly through Motion 87, which is being discussed and voted on during the Members' Assembly to help shape IUCN policy in this area. Events like the IUCN Congress – where a diverse gathering of conservation experts can debate, deliberate and decide – are vital to ensuring that innovation is grounded in collective wisdom, democratic values, and real-world needs.
Humanity’s most ambitious conservation goals depend on our ability to harness technology wisely. To that end, we must keep an eye on evolving technologies, seek out voices that have been excluded, confront uncomfortable trade-offs, and collaborate across sectors to ensure that conservation technology benefits both people and the planet.