Conservation X Labs

Open innovations: in 2023, Conservation X Labs completed the design of the fire grand challenge httpsconservationxlabscomfire which has a goal to reimagine how we live with and manage fire. The challenge seeks solutions that can transform local and systemic fire stewardship by bringing together place-based knowledge with cutting-edge technology. The team hosted the final two ideation convenings in indonesia and California, and came out of the process with a cohesive strategy for the program. For the rest of the year, the team detailed the implementation plan, continued building a coalition of key partners, expanded fundraising efforts, and participated in other opportunities, such as helping cultural fire practitioners craft policy recommendations for the wildland fire mitigation & management commission.conservation X Labs closed out the artisanal and small scale gold mining challenge: the amazon. Since 2019, Conservation X lab'Labs's challenges to source solutions for artisanal mining have led to over 200 applications submitted, 23 finalists, and 9 winners whose solutions make artisanal and small-scale mining more environmentally responsible and socially equitable.conservation X Labs also held little and big thinks for the extinction solutions index and textile circularity, and developed program plans for the subsequent year.

Sentinel: sentinel is an ai-powered edge device developed by Conservation X Labs to transform traditional trail cameras into intelligent, near real-time monitoring tools. Designed for the most remote and challenging environments, sentinel processes images directly on the device using advanced object detection and classification models, delivering actionable data over cellular, lora, and satellite communications. By reducing false alerts and optimizing data delivery, sentinel enables faster responses to critical events, helping conservationists, land managers, governments, and environmental agencies efficiently manage protected areas and monitor wildlife. The system has been successfully deployed across more than 10 countries, empowering users with scalable, field-ready ai solutions for dynamic Conservation challenges.

Thylacine: Conservation X Labs is developing a portable, battery-powered, rapid, and low-cost handheld device called the nabit that detects dna or rna targets in the field without the need for a laboratory, reagents, expensive equipment, or specialized training or expertise. In 2023, we continued developing the nabit device to detect pathogens and invasive species, and began developing additional disease assays for mycobacterium tuberculosis, mpox virus, and swinepox virus, as well as species detection assays for pacific salmon. We completed a design-for-manufacturing overhaul on the nabit device to improve durability, performance, and cost efficiency. Additionally, we initiated development on a new workflow that integrates environmental dna collection from water samples into nabit tests.