From observation to action: How the cloud and AI are driving meaningful conservation outcomes through data

Conservationists have never been short of data. There’s the data generated through painstaking observation by researchers in the field, the data recorded by generations of innovative devices used to track the behavior of wildlife, monitor migration patterns, and assess the health of populations, and more recently there’s the data used in complex mathematical models that predict the impact of climate change on species or calculate the biodiversity loss resulting from deforestation. Data raises awareness of risks and tells a story. The frustration for conservationists is that data alone has not been able to change the trajectory of that story.

How the cloud and AI make conservation data actionable

A combination of Amazon Web Services (AWS) Cloud, IoT and AI is changing this relationship, and changing it fast. We are entering an era when conservationists don’t just have more data available, they also have far more powerful ways to connect it, collaborate with it, and drive meaningful outcomes through it. From rainforests to oceans, and across the entire surface of the earth, innovative organizations are using data to accelerate conservation outcomes with game-changing results. Previously unfeasible projects have become immediately achievable. Transparency compels organizations and governments to honor their commitments. Conservation challenges that appeared impossible relatively recently are now being solved on accelerated timelines.

Clay AI for Earth is an organization that embodies this new relationship between conservation and data. Its Earth Observation Foundation Model—built with support from AWS and trained on data freely available through the AWS registry of open data—transforms satellite imagery into an accessible resource for innovative tech solutions to environmental challenges. Working with Earth Observation data was previously both complicated and expensive, which put one of the greatest potential resources for conservation organizations out of the reach of many of those with innovative ideas for how to use it. Clay’s approach is helping to change that.

Giving conservationists access to eyes in the sky

“Many groups that protect and restore nature have very data intensive missions, and that data intensity is often a key barrier to scale due to challenges with costs and expertise,” said Avery Cohn, one of the founding team at Clay. “We’re currently working with a startup that identifies where cleaning up old mining sites can reduce pollution and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. We estimated that mapping all of the target mines on earth would have cost about $2 million, which this startup didn’t have. With Clay that cost reduces to a few tens of thousands of dollars, and that makes all the difference.”

Making satellite imagery available for innovative conservation projects is triggering a wave of practical innovation. Clay data is helping to detect changes in forest cover in the Amazon, monitoring coastal waters to flag illegal fishing activity, and bringing new levels of transparency to agriculture and aquaculture. It’s also equipping government and NGO decision-makers with a practical guide to what works when it comes to conserving wildlife and its habitats, by showing the real impact of different policies and initiatives.

Creating digital twins of the most complex ecosystems

Not everything that matters in terms of conservation can be seen from space. Deep in the rainforests of Costa Rica, the R-evolution team at leading measurement technology business, Hexagon, is ensuring that the crucial, unseen elements in ecosystems can be mapped, monitored, and properly protected.

Hexagon is deploying 3D techniques, powered by AWS, to create a unique multi-dimensional view of La Gamba, a stretch of rainforest so biodiversity dense that it shelters over 600 threatened fauna species, endangered animals, and over 200 unique tree species. By combining cutting-edge laser scanning technologies with remote cameras, AWS Edge devices, compute power, and machine learning, it’s created digital twins of cubic meters of rainforest, known as Green Cubes. The cubes cover 100 square kilometers, and capture every detail of dense vertical environments where layers of life co-exist on top of one another.

Hexagon’s HxDR, a digital reality visualization platform built on AWS cloud compute, creates a real-time view of these ecosystems, as well as calculating the contribution that each Cube is making to the climate through photosynthesis. This level of transparency enables more active collaboration between conservationists, corporations, and other stakeholders. Governments can predict the likely impact of proposed mining or farming, and model different approaches to mitigating them. They can carefully monitor whether businesses are complying with regulations and amass detailed evidence against those that aren’t. Sponsoring Green Cubes as part of businesses’ ESG initiatives enables them to report in real detail on their contribution to biodiversity and nature-positive initiatives.

“By combining world leading technologies and science partners, we make nature visible and give real value,” said Erik Josefsson, CEO of Hexagon R-evolution. “Simply said, we put nature on the balance sheet.”

Halving the time required to clear ocean plastic

One of the most dramatic examples of the conservation outcomes that actionable data makes possible is taking shape in the Pacific Ocean. Here, The Ocean Cleanup, is working to capture and remove the estimated 220 million pounds of plastic in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPGP) that drift in ocean currents, representing a major threat to marine life. Thanks to a strategic collaboration with AWS, The Ocean Cleanup will be able to use the full range of data and sensor technologies now available to conservation initiatives to accelerate its operation. It is halving the time required to clear the GPGP from 10 years to five.

Under the partnership, Ocean Cleanup will use advanced machine learning models to analyze satellite imagery, in conjunction with data from IoT flotation devices and drones that track plastic movement in near-real-time. High-performance computing will transform these data into precise navigation routes for the team’s cleanup vessels, transforming the efficiency with which plastic is collected. AI spots plastic and ensures that cleanup teams know exactly where to head next.

“With AWS technology, we can then better locate plastic hotspots, optimize our cleanup operations, and ensure we’re protecting marine ecosystems while removing harmful plastic debris to achieve our ultimate goal of a 90 percent reduction in global ocean plastic pollution,” said Boyan Slat, CEO and Founder of The Ocean Cleanup.

It’s a vivid example of how new forms of data and analysis aren’t just revealing the richness of life on Earth, or the threats that it faces. They are accelerating conservation outcomes through technology that’s biased for action.

“This collaboration demonstrates how advanced cloud computing and AI can serve as powerful tools for environmental stewardship,” said Dr. Werner Vogels, CTO of Amazon, of the work AWS is conducting with Ocean Cleanup. “It’s creating a blueprint for how technology can address critical environmental challenges across the globe.”

The Ocean Cleanup team at work tackling the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (GPBP). Photo credit: The Ocean Cleanup

The time for passive observation in conservation is over. With AWS Cloud, IoT, and AI technologies now enabling unprecedented insights and action, we need partners, innovators, and organizations ready to transform environmental protection. Whether it’s creating digital twins of rainforests, accelerating ocean cleanup, or revolutionizing satellite imagery analysis, the tools for meaningful change are here. Join us in leveraging these powerful technologies to drive conservation outcomes that matter. Connect with AWS today to explore how cloud computing and AI can amplify your environmental initiatives and help create a sustainable future for our planet. Together, we can turn data into decisive action.