AI for Climate and Biodiversity

C Minds

Central America

2020

2024-25 Scale-up project

Presentation of the project

This project benefits both nature and its frontline stewards: local communities, particularly Indigenous Peoples who face biodiversity loss and economic vulnerability. Leveraging AI, community-driven approaches, and multisector collaborations, AI for Climate and Biodiversity has scaled evidence-based conservation and integrated reserves into the IUCN Green List in Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.

Focused on jaguars and biocorridors, the project fosters inclusive, youth- and Indigenous-led strategies. Next steps include scaling to LATAM by co-developing the Tech for Innovation Jaguar Biocorridor Alliance, enabling Indigenous communities to enter the biodiversity credit market while using AI for impact and accountability, and creating a high-integrity and ethical AI model for biodiversity credit projects in LATAM.

Presentation of the organization

C Minds is a women-founded, non-profit action tank based in Latin America that accelerates the contextual and ethical use of AI for social and environmental impact. With two decades of experience leading AI policies and initiatives with funding from GIZ, Google, Microsoft, and the government of the United Kingdom, the organization continues to advance the use of AI for climate and biodiversity.

Trajectory

Since joining the SCUP, we have expanded from a local initiative in Yucatán to a regional nature-tech movement across Latin America and the Caribbean. We launched the Jaguar Biocorridor Alliance, scaling the AI-based Bioscanner Platform for biodiversity analyses based on jaguar populations, and built an AI-powered matchmaking tool for funders and projects. Moving forward, we are co-designing with partners the Biocultural Platform, an investment mechanism rooted in Indigenous priorities.

Impact

“This project has transformed our community by combining technology and our traditional knowledge, ensuring biodiversity protection of our territory and amplifying our community’s social and economic opportunities.”

Juan Castillo

Community Leader of Dzilam de Bravo, Yucatán

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