GainForest is a **global non-profit** and **XPRIZE finalist** with the mission to halt and **reverse global deforestation by 2030**. Learn more at [links.gainforest.earth](https://links.gainforest.earth)

### Conservation Basic Income for the Global South

If tropical deforestation would be a country, it would be the third largest emitter in the world (after China and the US). Achieving 1.5 degrees requires to urgently halt deforestation. GainForest has built a global and **trusted network of conservation organisations (23 and counting)** that protect and reforest critical ecosystems. Explore our green globe at [maps.gainforest.app](https://maps.gainforest.app).


Rather than relying on donations, we are developing a **Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network (DePIN) that employs community-operated conservation drones** to gather vast amounts of machine learning-ready data. Local communities are rewarded for their efforts in digital Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (dMRV). In previous trial runs, we compensated individuals 50 cents for every tree measured, with a daily income cap of $10 per community member.

Our objective is to scale these efforts, providing additionally low-cost conservation drones on loan and compensate local communities $5-10 for each drone mapping mission they undertake.

### Why paying for data is the way forward in nature conservation


Carbon credits often lack transparency and are susceptible to exploitation. Similarly, donations can be challenging to maintain consistently. At GainForest, we are convinced that data payments are the key to creating a reliable income source for local communities.

Data regarding biodiversity in the Global South is scarce. Many species of plants and animals in these regions remain undiscovered and not documented. A conservation-focused data collection initiative would create a global data commons, propelling **the advancement of AI and biodiversity research in these areas**. There's an immediate need and a consensus to compensate local data collectors for their contributions (refer to https://forestplots.net/upload/publication-store/itm_183/Lima_Phillips_et_al_Making_Data_Fair_NatureEcolEvo2022.pdf).

In our DePIN system, drone-captured images are validated through similarity analysis with publicly accessible satellite imagery (https://www.climatechange.ai/papers/iclr2020/23). In addition, **a network of neighboring local communities** serves as a verifier for the authenticity of the data.

**Conservation Basic Income Payments** are then distributed for every drone-composed mosaic and tree image contributed by community members.

### NFTrees: Dynamic Hypercerts for Forest Conservation


Data gatherers and financiers receive **NFTree hypercerts**, interactive digital NFT replicas of the collected data, which monitor a holder's credibility, data integrity, and contribution to Decentralized Science (DeSci). This system opens up opportunities for data licensing, collective action, and retrospective funding."

### Showcasing ReFi's potential at the $10M XPRIZE Rainforest Finals


We're thrilled to announce that our technology has helped us reach the finals of the prestigious $10M XPRIZE Rainforest competition! Yet, we don't want to stop there. We're calling upon the unparalleled power of the #ReFi community, inviting each of you to be a part of an exceptional global endeavor.

Our mission is to supercharge our existing AI algorithms, pushing their capabilities to new heights in detecting species and unravelling the intricate tapestry of biodiversity. Together, we can construct the **world's largest, most valuable drone imagery dataset of forests**, a tool that will revolutionize our understanding and preservation of our planet and provide sustainable income for its data collectors for many years to come.

### Read our full impact report

Read our non-profit's full (web2-friendly) impact report here to learn about all our impact areas: https://www.canva.com/design/DAFpX8wy7LI/TjwaWTnL4x53l6rTd5oyxQ/view#17

We have been part of the Alpha and Beta rounds, and there is are some amazing updates to share.

# 🎉 We are XPRIZE finalists

We’re thrilled to announce that GainForest reached the finals of the prestigious $10M XPRIZE Rainforest competition! We couldn't be more proud to represent our #ReFi family in this competition and show the world its potential. See [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gJPW-Bgh6A) as a recap of our Semifinal participation.

# 🌍 We grew the Green Globe

We onboarded more than 20 additional conservation organisations in the Global South, resulting in one of ReFi's most global impact communities.

# 🌲 We shipped citizen science-led ecopayments

Thanks to your generous Gitcoin donations, we have curated a network of Indigenous scientists that helped us during the XPRIZE competiton. See below for a short summary of our citizen science-led ecopayment system.


# 🤖 We built AI + Nature tech

Visit our hugging face page to explore a growing list of AI + Nature tech, that is powered by Bacalhau! https://huggingface.co/spaces/diverseco/metaformer

# Read our full impact report

Read our non-profit's full (web2-friendly) impact report here to learn about all our impact areas: https://www.canva.com/design/DAFpX8wy7LI/TjwaWTnL4x53l6rTd5oyxQ/view