The Wildlife Crime Tech Challenge shone at the IUCN World Conservation Congress!
21 September 2016
On September 1, the Challenge headed to Honolulu, Hawaii, to attend the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress (WCC). Held every four years, the WCC is the world’s largest international conservation event and helps shape the future of conservation and sustainable development. The Challenge was excited to be part of it and to demonstrate how science and technology can fight wildlife crime.
The WCC started off with a bang, with United States Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announcing the imminent reveal of the Winners of the Challenge’s Grand Prize competition onstage during the WCC’s impressive opening ceremonies. Two of these Grand Prize Winners, the National Whistleblower Center and New England Aquarium, accompanied the Challenge to the WCC, along with Prize Winners Binomial Solutions, Paso Pacifico, Planet Indonesia, and the Zoological Society of London.
In addition to connecting with other inspirational innovators and spreading the word about the global wildlife trafficking crisis, this formidable team of Prize Winners led and participated in a variety of sessions and events, most notably two sessions at the U.S. Pavilion, a public outreach space designed to inform participants of U.S. conservation programs.
On September 2, Grand Prize Winner the New England Aquarium and Prize Winners Planet Indonesia and the Zoological Society of London joined the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Natalie Bailey for a packed presentation at the U.S. Pavilion’s Tech Corner. Planet Indonesia’s Adam Miller, New England Aquarium’s Michael Tlusty, and the Zoological Society of London’s Louise Hartley impressed the crowd with their prizewinning innovations, which include an app designed to collect data from wildlife markets, a digital invoicing and data analysis tool, and an innovative new satellite-based wildlife surveillance system.
On September 5, it was Binomial Solutions, the National Whistleblower Center, and Paso Pacifico’s turn to take the stage at the U.S. Pavilion. Raja Bhushan connected live to Binomial Solution’s prizewinning e-Eye wildlife surveillance system, streaming real-time video of wild deer enjoying the morning sunshine in India. Grand Prize Winner the National Whistleblower Center, represented by Stephen Kohn, reminded the assembled crowd of how we each can impact the fight against corruption. And finally, Sarah Otterstrom showed the crowd real prototypes of Paso Pacifico’s fake sea turtle eggs, which come equipped with GPS trackers and will help address the poaching of these eggs.
After more sessions, events, and networking, the Prize Winners and Challenge team returned to their respective home countries to continue to advance the fight against wildlife crime. The National Whistleblower Center, New England Aquarium, Binomial Solutions, Paso Pacifico, Planet Indonesia, the Zoological Society of London, and their fellow Prize Winners are seeking help in scaling or accelerating their innovations to fight wildlife crime. As might be expected, the WCC audience was full of ideas, inspiration, and enthusiasm. We hope you are too – please get in touch at info@wildlifecrimetech.org if you can help!
