ManglarIA
Using artificial intelligence to save mangroves in a changing climate
Healthy mangrove ecosystems are nature’s multitaskers, and they are essential to address the climate crisis. These coastal forests absorb and store significant amounts of carbon dioxide and protect coastal communities and infrastructure from storm surge and erosion. But these unique ecosystems are under threat from increased temperatures, changing rainfall, sea level rise, and other effects of climate change. To effectively conserve these coastal forests for the future, we need to learn how mangroves and the services they provide are affected by these threats and adapt our conservation strategies accordingly.
© Jason Houston/WWF-US
ManglarIA, “AI for Mangroves” in Spanish, is an innovative project that will expand our understanding of nature-based solutions—natural systems or processes used to help achieve societal goals—using a wide range of advanced technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI). Through this project, our goal is to create a model for data collection and analysis that can inform climate-smart ecosystem conservation worldwide. The project is supported by Google.org and was launched in July 2023.
How artificial intelligence can help mangroves fight the climate crisis
© Jason Houston/WWF-US
WWF and its partners have deployed various sensors—such as weather stations, camera traps, and drones—in Mexico’s Ría Lagartos and Marismas Nacionales Biosphere Reserves. These sensors and other technologies are providing huge data sets that is being used to correlate with mangrove health. This data includes important environmental variables such as air and sea surface temperatures, seawater salinity, freshwater flows, and the presence of wildlife. AI looks for patterns in this data to help us answer questions such as how carbon stocks are changing over time, how quickly mangroves can recover from hurricanes, and which mangrove species are most resilient to environmental change. This information will be used to adapt our mangrove conservation strategies to help ensure the long-term viability of mangroves as a nature-based solution.
© WWF
Data collection and availability
Data collection and analysis are key to climate-smart conservation. After establishing a baseline of environmental conditions in the two project sites, WWF and its partners are using AI to analyze existing and newly collected data over the course of the project to identify how mangrove health, carbon, coastal protection, and fisheries are affected by extreme weather and climate variability. WWF and project partners will incorporate these insights into conservation plans to maximize chances for successful restoration and long-term management, guide the implementation of climate-smart conservation, and ensure the durability of a nature-based solution for climate change.
Data from this project will be made available to governments, conservation organizations, research institutions, and local communities. Ultimately, we hope that ManglarIA can serve as a model for other geographies and ecosystems globally.
As the project progresses, stay tuned for more information on data collection and availability. Information about this project is also available in Spanish on WWF-Mexico's website.
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News and updates
[i] GPAI 2022. Biodiversity & Artificial Intelligence, Opportunities and Recommendations, Report, November 2022, Global Partnership on AI.