The Wild Incubator Tech Program
India’s unique biodiversity faces specific conservation challenges, necessitating the development of innovative, technology-driven solutions tailored to its distinct environmental and socio-economic contexts. There is a history of usage of technology for the conservation of biodiversity in India by leading scientists and organizations, however, most of the technologies have been imported and these technologies were not created with Indian Wildlife Protected Areas in mind.
Through Wild Incubator Tech Program we will be providing a small grant to NGOs working on innovative technologies focussed on addressing current wildlife science and conservation challenges. The broad technologies can be IOT, AI, Open Data, Satellite Imaging, GIS and Remote Sensing etc.
India’s wildlife conservation landscape is currently facing two significant issues.
First, there is a lack of technology-driven solutions that are specifically tailored to the unique challenges of India’s diverse ecosystems. The country’s rich biodiversity, spanning from the dense forests of the Western Ghats, to the arid landscapes of the Thar Desert and mountain regions of Ladakh, presents a wide array of conservation challenges. These challenges require specialized technological interventions that are not just effective but also contextually relevant. Moreover, the multitude of challenges like wildlife poaching and trade, human-wildlife conflict, connectivity being severed and the growing intensity of forest fires need innovative and deployable technology solutions.
Second and more important, there is a notable gap in the scalability of pilot projects. Numerous innovative ideas, hackathons and pilot projects in wildlife technology emerge, but they often struggle to progress beyond the initial stages. This lack of scalability limits their potential impact, leaving many promising technologies underutilized and unable to contribute significantly to conservation efforts.
The Wildlife Incubator Tech is designed to address this gap of Indian innovation and the scalability of solutions. By focusing on the development of India-specific technological solutions, the incubator will foster innovations that are directly aligned with the unique conservation needs of India’s diverse habitats.
Supported By
Ashraya Hastha Trust is a charitable foundation that advances ideas and supports organisations to promote a better, more equal world. For 20+ years, they have supported efforts to advance healthcare and education for all, preserve the environment, strengthen opportunities for livelihoods, champion animal welfare, and make philanthropy more effective to better serve historically marginalised communities.
