The Amazon rainforest, one of the "lungs of the Earth," faces threats from human activities such as deforestation, habitat destruction that also contribute and speed up climate change. As one of the world's most biodiverse places, the Amazon is home to countless species of plants and animals, many of which are found nowhere else on Earth. But with human-induced threats present, the delicate balance of the ecosystem and the richness of its biodiversity are without doubt jeopardized.
In response to these challenges, GainForest developed an AI-driven tool to aid in Amazon biodiversity conservation and protection. Named Taina, this Telegram bot aims to address the critical need to collect species data and knowledge and preserve these to empower researchers, conservationists, and local communities with better understanding of the biodiversity that they are protecting.
Background: Who we are and why are we doing this?
GainForest is a non-profit organization and a finalist in the XPRIZE Rainforest that develops tech-based solutions to empower nature stewards on the ground through channels like Conservation Basic Income (CBI), transparency platforms (#GreenGlobe), AI for nature, and blockchain for conservation. Through these solutions, GainForest is able to hit two birds with one stone—redirect human activities towards impactful, sustainable, and effective forest conservation, all while addressing the immense lack of reliable data on measuring impact of biodiversity and forest conservation and the inefficiency in allocating funds to where it’s most needed (e.g. local or indigenous communities who are at the forefront of the climate change battle).
With all of these goals in mind, Taina is the most recent addition to GainForest’s tech-based solutions.
The Making of Taina
GainForest has always believed in co-designing with local communities!
And Taina’s journey from ideation to reality is a testament to the power of community collaboration. We believe and honor the invaluable wisdom and insights that our partner communities bring to the table, and Taina wouldn’t have succeeded without their input.
During the team’s initial visit to the Amazon to collect data, we learned that traditional data collection methods—such as filling out forms or how we labeled species groups (“plants” and “animals”) — were inadequate and not the best options for indigenous groups, like the Kayapo, as it does not take into consideration their way of living and just generally how they perceive things. We’ve also learned that oral history is their primary transfer of community knowledge. These realizations, and the learnings we’ve had from the semi-finals round of the XPRIZE, laid the foundation for Taina’s development.
Leveraging advancements in Generative AI, we created Dora the Explorer, a Telegram-based AI bot designed for local data collection. Dora’s success in engaging Indigenous communities in Manaus exceeded our expectations, leading to invaluable insights gathered in a fraction of the time.
In fact, the communities recommended renaming Dora to Taina, who is the Indigenous Brazilian Dora) — and so Taina was born. ✨
#MeetTaina
Taina boasts a range of features designed to simplify the data collection process and enhance collaboration. With its intuitive interface and user-friendly design, Taina makes it easy for users of all backgrounds to participate in conservation efforts. Furthermore, Taina's multilingual capabilities ensure effective communication with diverse communities, fostering greater inclusivity and collaboration.
We have launched the first of our Citizen Science knowledge-sharing series where we got to introduce Taina to Amazon Rainforest experts and enthusiasts. For every shared information on species, we reward them with 1USD.
GainForest believes this digital tool is a game-changer for Amazon conservation. By harnessing the power of technology and community collaboration, we’re preserving the knowledge we have to better understand and plan our steps moving forward in protecting the Amazon Rainforest biodiversity.