New software puts a price on nature’s loss

June 15, 2025

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Estonia-based technology firm Endangered Wildlife has launched a platform that calculates the financial value of biodiversity. Named the Biodiversity Valuator, the tool uses artificial intelligence and scientific data to assign monetary worth to ecosystems and species in specific locations. It aims to help governments and companies account for environmental loss.

  • The Biodiversity Valuator models ecological functions, and replacement costs and economic dependencies such as tourism, with results presented in monetary terms.

  • This could potentially be a help for African countries seeking impact investments or biodiversity-linked funds. 

  • Our take: Unlike carbon, biodiversity has historically lacked clear measurement…Read more (2 min)

Yangambi is a biosphere reserve and research area within the Congo Basin. Sagesse Nziavake, a wildlife expert in DR Congo, explained to us how camera traps are enhancing conservation efforts in Yangambi, the challenges of working in remote forests and the role of community collaboration. “Camera traps have changed how we protect wildlife,” she states.

  • Yangambi’s forests are biodiversity hotspots. However, decades of habitat loss and hunting have pushed many species to the brink. In the Congo Basin alone, forest elephant populations have declined by over 60% in the past decade, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

  • New tools, such as camera traps, are aiding researchers in gathering critical data in areas that are too dense or dangerous for human observation. However, experts warn that without increased investment and local engagement, even the most advanced technology will not suffice to safeguard Africa’s wildlife.

  • Read the full conversation here…Read more (2 min)

A new conservation initiative supporting communities in Northern Malawi and Eastern Zambia deploys wildlife-resilient crops to end frequent conflict between humans and wildlife. The project will also protect cropland and improve food security by helping residents manage interference from hippos and other animals by using alternative farming approaches.

  • This aligns conservation with community needs while discouraging wildlife from entering fields through crop selection.

  • Wildlife-resilient crops, also known as Human-Wildlife Conflict Smart Crops, are varieties less attractive or accessible to wildlife.

  • Our take: Shifting towards wildlife-resilient crops is likely to bring financial benefits…Read more (2 min)

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African Parks relocates 70 white rhino from South Africa to Rwanda’s Akagera National Park to boost the population, enhance genetic diversity and strengthen regional and global rhino conservation efforts.

Events

🗓️ Plan for the Global Landscape Forum 2025 in Kenya (June 19)

🗓️ Attend the International Congress for Conservation Biology in Australia (June 15)

🗓️ Register for the 2025 Bonn Climate Change Conference in Germany (June 16)

Jobs

🌳 Apply to be a Fisheries Specialist at the Nature Conservancy (Kenya)

🌳 Be the Government Policy Advisor at the Nature Conservancy (Angola)

🐘 Be a Ranger Special Task Team Leader at Delta (Namibia)

Various 

🌊 Tanzania declares two new marine protected areas in Pemba island

🐢 Nigeria to launch a wildlife protection framework

🐚 South Africa signs high seas treaty to protect marine biodiversity

Seen on LinkedIn 

Lisa Karanja, Regional Director World Wildlife Fund, says, “In Africa, women are guardians of biodiversity. Yet they continue to face disproportionate impacts from environmental degradation, climate shocks, and systems that deny them access to land, finance and decision-making spaces.”

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