Science and technology to accelerate the nature positive transition

The world’s governments have signed onto an historic agreement that will create a sustainable future for all, one that incorporates the contributions of nature across every sector of the global economy. But we’ve got a major problem.

While AI capabilities have been advancing at breakneck speeds, the availability of well-structured, machine readable data is still very limited, resulting in major blindspots and even “hallucinations” related to the functional condition of ecosystems.

The Nature Data Lab (NDL) supports researchers across multiple disciplines who are working to solve the nature data gap, from quantitative ecology and conservation biology, to biogeography and earth economics.

The centerpiece of our work is the Global Safety Net, a partnership with One Earth Philanthropy, which monitors the world's remaining natural land and inland waters, documenting their conservation status and driving financial resources to the places most in need.

Fellows nominate research proposals they deem critically important organized in four major program areas: (I) Ecological Priorities, (II) Nature Mapping, (III) Conservation Justice, and (IV) Earth Economy.

NDL works to secure funding for this work through a network of philanthropists specifically interested in the intersection of technology and ecology. Currently, we’re supporting 10 projects with 9 new projects proposed for the 2026-2027 timeframe.