Five years ago, WILDLABS set out to capture a baseline picture of the conservation technology landscape. What technologies were people using? What challenges were they facing? What support was needed to help technology deliver meaningful conservation outcomes?

Since then, we have run annual surveys of the community to keep tabs on progress. Today, with five years of data from 1,073 respondents across 101 countries, we have our clearest picture yet of how the field is evolving and where collective action is most needed.

The most striking finding from five years of data is not how much conservation technology has changed, but how much the sector’s core challenges have stayed the same.

While tools have advanced rapidly, practitioners and developers have continued to identify the same recurring barriers and priorities to address them. The challenge now is less about identifying what needs to happen, and more about making it happen.

Here’s what we found, in five key insights. Read on or dive into the full report.

Five Key Insights from the Report

1. Conservation technology is becoming increasingly embedded in practice

Technology is no longer a niche component of conservation work. Across the survey period, respondents consistently reported using multiple technologies rather than relying on a single tool, and in 2024, 94% of respondents reported regularly engaging with more than one tool. Camera traps and GIS/remote sensing remain foundational technologies, while engagement with acoustics and AI tools continues to grow.

Rather than replacing existing approaches, newer technologies are increasingly being integrated into broader workflows and decision-making processes.

2. AI and networked sensors remain high-potential, but difficult to implement

Among all technology groups, AI tools and networked sensors were consistently viewed as having some of the greatest potential to advance conservation.

At the same time, they also ranked among the lowest-performing technologies in terms of current practical implementation.

This gap points to one of the report’s clearest messages: perceived value is not the same as real-world readiness. For high-potential tools to deliver conservation impact, the sector must also address the barriers that shape whether they can be adopted and sustained in practice, including accessibility, infrastructure, capacity, and operational deployment.

3. Inequities continue to shape who can access and benefit from conservation technology

As in prior years, the report found that barriers are not evenly distributed.

Practitioners in developing economies continue to face disproportionate challenges related to affordability, access to local suppliers, training opportunities, and technical support. Women working in conservation technology also reported higher rates of several key barriers, including access to training, testing opportunities, and relevant data. 

For example, end-users in countries with developing economies were 5.4x more likely to report challenges accessing local technology suppliers, while women were 3.2x more likely to report challenges accessing testing sites.

These findings reinforce the importance of designing support systems, funding mechanisms, and capacity-building initiatives that are equitable and locally relevant.

4. The sector's biggest advancements may lie beyond new inventions

Across the five-year dataset, respondents consistently highlighted that many technologies are already generating valuable ecological and management insights. Yet the most commonly reported challenges were not about technological capability. Instead, respondents pointed to practical barriers such as cost, usability, connectivity, training, maintenance, and access to support. 

The findings suggest that future progress may depend as much on strengthening the enabling conditions around conservation technology - including funding, training, support networks, and maintenance - as on developing entirely new tools. 

5. The community agrees on what needs to happen next

Across five years of survey data, respondents consistently emphasized the need to make conservation technologies more open, accessible, and user-friendly; strengthen collaboration and information sharing; improve interoperability between tools and data systems; and increase capacity to collect, manage, and analyze conservation data at scale.

Together, these priorities point to a clear message: future progress will depend not only on developing new tools, but on strengthening the conditions that help those tools translate into conservation impact.

Looking Ahead

Over the past five years, conservation technology has matured considerably. AI, automation, bioacoustics, remote sensing, and data-driven approaches are becoming increasingly important across conservation practice.

Yet perhaps the most important lesson from this research is that technology alone is not enough. To move from innovation to impact, the sector also needs sustained investment in the people, partnerships, institutions, and support systems that make tools usable, accessible, and effective in real-world conservation contexts.

As WILDLABS looks toward the next five years, these findings will continue to shape how we support the sector, from listening to the community and strengthening connections across silos to improving access to knowledge and tools and helping build the funding, capacity, and coordination needed for conservation technology to succeed.

Read the full report to explore the findings in detail, share your reflections with the WILDLABS community, and join the conversation about what comes next for the conservation technology sector. Also keep an eye out for the 2026 survey, coming soon!

Read the Report!

Header image credit: Alasdair Davies, Penguin Watch, Oxford Brookes University.