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<h1>A Key For Tackling the Environmental Crisis</h1>Concern about carbon emissions and the possible actions that companies and governments have in their agenda have increased considerably during the previous months. The triple environmental crises have regained presence in conversations of world leaders.We surely are aware by now of eco-friendly alternatives to our daily life choices, organic foods, sustainable clothing, and zero waste gadgets. These solutions are indeed helpful, yet not enough for tackling the environmental crises.We’re probably less aware of how technology can help us protect, restore, and, regenerate nature — the most valuable asset on Earth.Technology can help save the planet.And nature now needs tech support, too.Nature-tech, which combines a handful of technologic solutions, can measure, track, and help ecosystems thrive. Let’s go into detail below.<h1>AI &amp; Forests: An Odd Match</h1>Most of us wouldn’t imagine this could make a good combination because of the bias towards it. So let’s talk about how it started.Reforestation is not a new topic for environmental programs, but the efficient use of technology in reforestation is. Many companies have decided to reorient their industries towards what we now call “Climate Tech”, which is simply to increase productivity in any research, measurement, and analysis process required in soil reforestation.Nature tech was born out of Climate tech. According to <a href="http://natureforclimate.org/">NatureforClimate.org</a>, Nature tech, in its broadest sense, is high-tech applications that enable, accelerate and scale-up NbS (as for Nature-based Solutions), covering the following areas:<ul><li>Technology to deploy NbS, such as LiDAR technology for reforestation</li><li>Technology to monitor, verify and report on NbS such as satellite monitoring and DNA testing</li><li>Technology to improve transparency around NbS</li><li>Technology to connect people and conservation projects involved in NbS</li></ul>In short, nature tech aims to protect, sustainably manage, and restore ecosystem services, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits.<h1>The Answer is in the Trees</h1>On average, a tree absorbs between 10kg and 30kg of CO2 per year, therefore, 22 trees are required to supply the oxygen demand of only one person a day.The application of nature tech can help forests in the reduction and compensation of CO2, since trees are an important source for reducing and offsetting the emissions generated by their deforestation. Returning the real value to the trees should be essential in any environmental program that helps combat the environmental crises we face today. Therefore, nature tech and NbS are the key to environmental action in today’s society.<h1>Algorithm of the Forest</h1>Many see nature and technology as polar opposites, and by extension believe that “ecological” and “technological” solutions to global crises exist in conflict.It’s not just about technology alone: although a great tool, we know it cannot solve everything at once.It all counts: From small, individual actions like eating organic food to zero waste products, to nature-tech solutions that help accelerate and scale up NbS at a bigger scale. We believe all are key to improve the health of our biosphere.We believe technology and nature can work together, instead of against one another.Through our atlas of the biosphere we use a collection of algorithms called LemuRank that unleashes the planet’s natural capital to demonstrate that the conservation and restoration of ecosystems are the best possible investment for the future of Earth.We cannot waste the potential of technology, and we cannot waste this unique nature.If you want to know more about how we’re tackling the environmental crisis, feel free to sign up in our early access in <a href="http://le.mu/">le.mu</a>

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AI & Forests: An Odd Match

Human beings have always been attracted to discovering the secrets of the natural world.Thousands of years ago, travelers were guided by the sun and stars to know where they were and where they were going, then Scandinavian sailors used sunstones and rudimentary compasses. As the invention of magnetic compasses came along, everything quickly evolved into today’s GPS systems.Today, we can not only discover and study nature through our eyes, but also through Earth observation, navigation and positioning technologies (the well-known GPS system), thermal, vegetation and weather mapping satellites, just to name a few. These technologies allow us to perceive what we cannot see or feel with our senses, since they cover a whole range of spectra that are invisible and intangible to human capabilities.Curiously, we are just beginning to take advantage of technology to understand the wonderful complexity of the biosphere: nature is still a mysterious, imposing, and impregnable place.Ecosystems such as the dense and impenetrable rainforest harbors species about which little or nothing is yet known due to its inaccessibility: even after thousands of years of expeditions, road marks, compasses and satellites, we still cannot fully fathom the magnitude of their importance in the delicate balance of life. &nbsp;<h2>New technologies, new species</h2>In general, it is scientists who are constantly discovering, studying and preserving new species in the field, but in an ecosystem as complex as the rainforest, this becomes a titanic task.A clear example of this is the recent announcement of the discovery of <a href="https://www.elmostrador.cl/dia/2021/03/24/descubren-poblacion-desconocida-de-monito-del-monte-en-la-region-del-maule/">a new species of opossum — “chumaihuén” or “monito del monte” as locals call them—, in the southern region of Chile</a>, (Dromiciops bozinovici) the only living representative of the order Microbiotheria, an ancestral group of Australian marsupials. This fact would have gone unnoticed had it not been for the camera traps and satellite technologies that were installed to support scientists in the study of the Valdivian rainforest, the monkey’s habitat.This may be a good reason, among many others, to find new ways to link technology and nature and understand them as an ally in the conservation and protection of ecosystems and all the species that inhabit them.<h1>An Atlas of the Biosphere</h1>From sunstones, compasses, and GPS, we learned that there is still much to discover and study, that we are just another species on the planet, and that the importance of life lies in respecting the biosphere as a whole.We find that the ethical use of satellite technology is one of the ways we can help discover and preserve unique species on Earth, as well as collect data on ecosystems in a non-invasive way: from understanding their geographic location, to the characteristics of the soil and vegetation of habitats, to discover how a given species interacts with its environment and where its territory extends to.<blockquote>“Satellite-based remote sensing data complement field data by adding three important aspects: scale, temporal resolution and speed. Satellite imagery provides us with millions of measurements across the globe and over time. This allows for a much more comprehensive analysis of ecosystems.The possibility of near-real-time measurement also allows for quicker action in response to threats such as fires or natural disasters — for example, the monitoring of the ongoing volcanic explosion on the Canary Islands,” says Sangeetha Narayan, Product Manager at Odd Industries.</blockquote>We believe that investing in conservation is the best tool to understand the power of nature, uncover its secrets, and preserve its value to tackle the environmental crisis. That’s why we developed an atlas of the biosphere: a collection of maps, geospatial data and algorithms that will help us understand and protect species ranging from the Chilean bush monkey to fungi and bacteria that still remain unknown, all part of the only living planet we know of so far.We are looking forward to showcasing the development of our atlas, so we invite you to <a href="https://le.mu/">sign up for early access here</a> and find out more about bringing the wild world to as many people as possible.Let’s not waste the potential of technology, let’s not waste this opportunity to support the conservation and restoration of this irreplaceable nature.