Latest update September 13th, 2026 10:36 AM
Guyana showcases leadership in forest data and AI integration at COP30
(Kaieteur News) – Guyana’s pioneering work in applying digital innovation and artificial intelligence to forest conservation took center stage at COP30 in Belém, Brazil, during a high-level panel discussion titled “Live Canopy: Harnessing AI and Digital Innovation for Forest Conservation and Reforestation.”
The event was hosted by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) and convened leading experts to explore how digital technologies are transforming forest management, monitoring, and reforestation across the Global South. The panel featured global voices on forest and AI, including André Aquino from Brazil’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Pradeepa Bholanath from the Ministry of Natural Resources of Guyana, Tasso Azevedo, Coordinator of Mapbiomas, and Raul Protázio Romão, Secretary for Environment and Sustainability of the State of Pará. The session was moderated by Fabro Steibel, Executive Director of the Institute for Technology and Society of Rio de Janeiro (ITS Rio).
In taking the stage, Bholanath highlighted the country’s progress under President Irfaan Ali’s priority programme on digital innovation, which integrates AI-enabled biodiversity monitoring tools into forest management and conservation systems.
Bholanath showcased how Guyana is leveraging data from digital platforms to expand its Measurement, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) system through wall-to-wall mapping using satellite data, traditionally used for carbon and forest cover monitoring, to now include biodiversity indicators.
She explained that this system has now produced 15 consecutive years (since 2009) of monitoring using digital innovation, and the sector is at the cutting edge of technological applications such as satellite imagery analysis and cloud-based processing to inform MRV reporting.
These innovations ensure that forest and climate data directly inform public policy and strengthen evidence-based decision-making, while also creating opportunities for communities to benefit from technological progress.
Bholanauth said, “Guyana’s approach demonstrates how small states can lead globally by embedding technology within sustainable forest governance and how this then leads to generating climate finance”, as she emphasised the alignment between digital transformation and the country’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS 2030).
The two-round discussion explored how AI and digital technologies can accelerate forest management and conservation, strengthen cross-sector collaboration, and ensure that innovation generates benefits for local and Indigenous communities. Speakers stressed the importance of governance, transparency, and sustainable financing mechanisms to scale up technology-driven conservation.
Panellists also emphasised the need for partnerships between governments, civil society, and research institutions to ensure that digital innovation supports equitable, long-term outcomes for people and ecosystems alike.
Meanwhile, the Live Canopy session underscored the growing importance of South-South collaboration in advancing AI and digital sustainability.
Bholanauth noted, “Artificial intelligence has become a powerful ally in managing and conserving our forests and biodiversity…by combining innovation, inclusivity, and strong governance, nations like Guyana are setting an example for sustainable digital progress in the Global South.”
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