New York, NY — October 23, 2025 — The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) has been selected as one of fifteen global teams awarded funding through the Bezos Earth Fund’s AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge, receiving up to $2 million to scale artificial intelligence solutions that address the world’s most pressing environmental challenges — from biodiversity loss and food insecurity to climate change. 

WCS will use artificial intelligence and citizen science to revolutionize how coral reefs are monitored and protected worldwide. The project aims to identify and safeguard the most climate-resilient reefs on the planet—supporting biodiversity, coastal communities, and global 30x30 conservation goals.

“This award helps us turn AI innovation into real-world conservation impact,” said Dr. Emily Darling, Director of Coral Reef Conservation at the Wildlife Conservation Society. “With support from the Bezos Earth Fund, we’re advancing foundational AI models for coral reef monitoring and inviting divers and citizen scientists everywhere to join the effort to map, monitor, and protect the reefs most likely to survive climate change.”

Launched in 2024, the Bezos Earth Fund’s AI for Climate and Nature Grand Challenge is a $100 million initiative designed to harness the power of artificial intelligence to tackle the dual crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The program connects innovators with resources and mentorship from leading technology partners including AWS, Google.org, NVIDIA Corporation, Microsoft Research, AI2, and Esri. 

“These projects show how AI, when developed responsibly and guided by science and local knowledge, can strengthen environmental action and ensure its overall impact on the planet is positive,” said Dr. Amen Ra Mashariki, Director of AI and Data Strategies at the Bezos Earth Fund. 

With partners, MERMAID AI will accelerate coral reef monitoring and policy impact in more than 50 countries.

“Our goal is to make advanced AI tools accessible to every scientist and diver working to protect coral reefs,” said Kim Fisher, Lead Software Engineer for MERMAID. “The power of open, shared models is that they grow stronger with every image and every user.”

Over the next two years, the project will integrate global citizen science apps for divers into MERMAID, build an open-source AI model capable of identifying more than 100 coral species, and generate real-time maps of climate-resilient reefs. These tools will empower local scientists, communities, and governments with the data they need to protect reefs that sustain coastal livelihoods, fisheries, biodiversity, and climate adaptation.

“Our science is already showing that there are coral reefs around the world that can withstand even extreme climate impacts. As a key pillar of our newly launched Coral Reef Strategy, WCS is excited to harness the power of cutting-edge computing technology to help identify more of these high integrity climate-resilient reefs for targeted management action” said Dr. Stacy Jupiter, Executive Director of WCS’s Global Marine Program.

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
WCS combines the power of its zoos and an aquarium in New York City and a Global Conservation Program in more than 50 countries to achieve its mission to save wildlife and wild places. WCS runs the world’s largest conservation field program, protecting more than 50 percent of Earth’s known biodiversity; in partnership with governments, Indigenous People, Local Communities, and the private sector. Its four zoos and aquarium (the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and the New York Aquarium ) welcome more than 3.5 million visitors each year, inspiring generations to care for nature. Visit: newsroom.wcs.org. Follow: @WCSNewsroom. For more information: +1 (347) 840-1242. Listen to the WCS Wild Audio podcast HERE.

MERMAID
MERMAID (Marine Ecological Research Management AID) is an open-source coral reef data management platform designed to accelerate coral reef conservation and policy impact worldwide. An initiative of the Wildlife Conservation Society, MERMAID provides scientists, managers, and decision makers at all scales from local to global with standardized, real-time data to identify and protect the world's most critical coral reefs. MERMAID is driving the future of data-driven marine protection in over 50 countries, leveraging cutting-edge coral reef monitoring, AI, and science to safeguard marine biodiversity and support global conservation goals. Learn more: www.datamermaid.org. Follow: @datamermaid.