The Challenge offers $630,000 in Prizes and Support to Ignite Innovation in Fire Management
August 8, 2024 – Washington, D.C. — Today, Conservation X Labs (CXL), in collaboration with the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation, Esri, Planet, and USAID, proudly launched the Western North America edition of the Fire Grand Challenge. This groundbreaking initiative seeks to harness human ingenuity to transform how we manage and live with fire, ultimately restoring it to its natural role within ecosystems.
Fire is a natural part of many ecosystems. But on a planet rapidly changing due to climate change, habitat destruction, and resource extraction, fire is becoming an increasing threat to nature and human communities alike. Just as human-caused changes have made fire a danger in many places, human ingenuity has the power to reimagine and remember how we, and the creatures we share Earth with, can live and thrive with fire.
“Together with our partners, we’ve designed the Fire Grand Challenge to bring people together from across the fire sector, and from outside of it too, to create new solutions to the main drivers of the fire crisis in Western North America. Throughout the Challenge process, we’ll be working tirelessly to bring promising innovators the resources and support they need to accelerate and scale their paradigm shifting ideas””
CXL is calling innovators from around the globe to submit solutions to transform how we manage and live with fire. The first round of the Challenge will focus on Western North America, providing over $630,000 in prizes and programming to support and scale innovations that braid cutting-edge technology with Indigenous, rural, and place-based knowledge.
Researchers, community leaders, and anyone with a passion for solving one of the most critical issues of our time are being invited to participate. By combining the wisdom of traditional practices with the power of modern technology, we can create a future where humans and nature thrive together with fire.
The Fire Grand Challenge is seeking innovations in two key areas:
1. Scaling Innovative Ecosystem Stewardship
This challenge theme seeks innovations that incentivize and scale economically-driven, locally-appropriate land and fire stewardship throughout the fire cycle, while protecting biodiversity and promoting healthy ecosystems.
2. Synthesizing Diverse Knowledge
This challenge theme seeks solutions that promote transparency and bring together diverse sources of knowledge or data to ensure that relevant, timely, actionable information is accessible to all relevant responders throughout the fire cycle.
Applications are open and will be accepted until December 2, 2024, at 5pm PST.
For more information and to apply, visit www.conservationxlabs.com/fire or contact the team at fire@conservationxlabs.org
About Conservation X Labs (CXL)
Conservation X Labs creates solutions to prevent the sixth mass extinction by developing transformative technologies, harnessing innovation through competitions, and building a community of innovators across disciplines. With the belief that humans have the power to solve the problems they've created, CXL stands at the forefront of conservation technology.
Learn more at www.conservationxlabs.com
Media Contact
Lindsey Garrison, Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing
Conservation X Labs
press@conservationxlabs.org
