From AI-powered forest monitoring to mining tools that reduce mercury use, the Amazon CoLab will accelerate solutions that aim to transform artisanal and small-scale gold mining practices to be more environmentally responsible and socially equitable.

Washington, D.C. — Conservation X Labs (CXL), in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Microsoft, and Esri, launched the Amazon CoLab, a 6-month acceleration program that will support innovator teams developing, testing, and advancing solutions to protect people and ecosystems in the Amazon.

“We can improve our innovation while implementing it in the field,” said Leon Riedel of ASMSpotter. “Together with the AmazonCoLab’s mentoring and networking possibilities, this accelerates the market readiness of our innovation tremendously and supports outreach to potential clients.”

The inaugural Amazon CoLab cohort consists of six international teams that received recognition in the first round of the Artisanal Mining Grand Challenge, executed from 2019-2020. These teams are testing their solutions from November 2021 to April 2022, working with regional partners in Peru and Guyana.

“The Amazon CoLab marks the beginning of a new model for conserving the Amazon,” said Dr. Alex Dehgan, CEO & Co-Founder of Conservation X Labs. “We’re excited to bring together a talented inaugural cohort, knowledgeable local partners working on the ground, and experts in technology and innovation to collaborate together in an effort to preserve the future of the Amazon.”

The solutions selected for the first cohort are:

ASMSPOTTER

Developed by dida and Levin Sources, ASMSpotter is a tool to automatically detect artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) activities using satellite data and artificial intelligence. It helps governments and conservation organizations to monitor deforestation related to ASGM activities. The solution will be tested in Guyana with the support of the Guyana Ministry of Natural Resources.

CLEANGOLD

A mercury-free, affordable, and safe mining system that can capture finer gold particles better than mercury. The Cleangold system increases miners’ yields while helping them avoid the use of toxic chemicals. It may also be used at former mining sites to remove mercury from the environment. The solution will be tested in Peru with the support of CITE Mineria y Medio Ambiente.

MERCURY CAPTURE SYSTEM

A system intending to help gold shops, NGOs, governments, and miners capture and prevent the ambient release of dangerous mercury vapor emissions in the amalgam burning process. The solution will be tested in gold shops and processing plants in the region.

PICOYUNE

A next-generation portable mercury sensor (including a wearable model) that will help gold shops, NGOs, miners, and industries detect contaminated spaces in real-time in the field. The solution will be tested in Guyana.

PROJECT INAMBARI

A satellite image-based monitoring platform with a wide range of imagery, alerts, and analysis tools to help communities, governments and conservation groups detect mining operations in critical forest environments. The solution will be tested in Peru with the support of the Peruvian Service for Natural Protected Areas (SERNANP).

QUIPU

Also known as Matokeo, this mobile-based technology system is driven by community collected data to help conservation organizations, local governments, and communities monitor mercury usage and deforestation. The solution will be tested in Peru with the support of the Alliance for Responsible Mining.

Amazon CoLab - Accelerating Solutions for People & the Planet

About the Amazon CoLab

Conservation X Labs, a technology and innovation company that builds ventures and empowers innovators to revolutionize conservation and prevent the sixth mass extinction, will lead the implementation of the Amazon CoLab with the support of Engineering for Change (E4C), a global organization with broad experience delivering international product development programs through its global network of engineers. E4C, as a part of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), has developed and leveraged a Product and Engineering Support Services program, which is a proven methodology for supporting social entrepreneurs as they move technology innovations from concept to testing to scale-up.

Throughout the program, participating teams will have access to a unique space for field-testing and accelerating their solutions in the Amazon basin, while connecting to implementation and testing partners in the field; experts and mentors in the business, technology, engineering, and conservation fields; and organizations and funders interested in the growth of the inaugural cohort’s solutions. The CoLab aims to advance each innovation’s application, commercial, and funding readiness levels in pursuit of adoption, financial sustainability and/or commercial success, and environmental and social impact.

This initiative is a part of The Artisanal Mining Grand Challenge, a global call for solutions to make artisanal and small-scale mining more environmentally responsible and socially equitable. The Challenge ran its first round in 2019-2020 and focused on solutions that could be applied anywhere in the world. The second round is made possible through a Global Development Alliance with the support of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Microsoft, Esri, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and centers its efforts on solutions for the Amazon.

Finalists selected from the Artisanal Mining Grand Challenge: the Amazon will be invited to participate in the second cohort of the Amazon CoLab starting in April 2022.

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