The CBA announces the appointment of AI Fellow
The Circular Bioeconomy Alliance (CBA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Rafael Camargo as the first CBA Fellow on Artificial Intelligence for a Nature-First Economy.
Supported financially by NatureAlpha, the Fellowship aims to link nature, finance and AI capabilities, leveraging cutting-edge technology to support monitoring and evaluation in the CBA’s projects globally.
CBA CEO Marc Palahí said: “AI technology has great potential but also risks for Nature and humanity. Artificial Intelligence can add exponential value to Living Intelligence if harnessed in a transparent, meaningful, and ethical way. The CBA is immensely grateful to NatureAlpha for funding this pioneering Fellowship, which will explore how AI can support our understanding and management of complex socio-ecological systems.”
Vian Sharif, Founder and President of NatureAlpha said: “We are at a pivotal juncture for nature and biodiversity, where the advancement of AI and technology can fundamentally impact the accessibility of quality nature data. This in turn has the potential to help deliver meaningful real world action, supporting NatureAlpha and CBA’s shared principles of accelerating the transition to a nature-first economy. We are extremely excited to partner with CBA on the launch of its AI Fellowship. Rafael’s knowledge, experience and passion make him exceptionally well placed to deliver on the fellowship’s key objectives.”
The Fellowship aims to operationalise the principles and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) outlined in the CBA Principles for Regenerative Landscapes and the forthcoming CBA Monitoring and Evaluation Handbook. It will deliver innovative solutions and digital tools that support and empower CBA partners to design, monitor and report their Living Labs.
Key objectives include:
- providing insights on the role of AI in advancing the monitoring, tracking, and implementation of landscape regeneration, while enhancing transparency and accountability
- creating comprehensive, interoperable data layers that provide insights into biodiversity, ecosystem services, and circular bioeconomy indicators in space and time
- developing user-friendly platforms, APIs, or tools that enable the CBA monitoring and evaluation framework to utilise data for decision-making, tracking progress, and impact assessment
- ensuring research and tools are responsive to real-world needs and are applied effectively, by collaborating with CBA Affiliate Members, Living Lab partners as well as other stakeholders.
The new Fellow Rafael Camargo has a background in geospatial data science and is passionate about harnessing nature data and artificial intelligence to advance corporate sustainability and accelerate the transition towards a nature-positive, circular bioeconomy. He is Head of Geospatial Engineering at NatureAlpha, where he leads the development of innovative data-driven tools that enable businesses and financial institutions to assess and manage their nature-related impacts, dependencies, risks, and opportunities.
Prior to joining NatureAlpha, Rafael was a senior consultant at BCG/Quantis, advising major corporations on sustainability strategies, and before that he worked at WWF, where he managed data and technology for the Water Risk Filter and Biodiversity Risk Filter. He has contributed to global sustainability frameworks and guidance, including the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN), and the Climate Disclosure Standards Board (CDSB).
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About the CBA
The Circular Bioeconomy Alliance (CBA) was established in 2020 by His Majesty King Charles III (formerly His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales), and became a registered charity in September 2023. The CBA aims to accelerate the transition to a nature-first economy that is both powered by nature and prospers in harmony with it. It delivers transformative impact at scale through its global network of Living Labs that blend science, technology and indigenous knowledge to holistically regenerate landscapes, support communities and rethink value chains.
About NatureAlpha
NatureAlpha provides AI and data-driven insights to support a range of solutions including nature and biodiversity risk-related metrics, indexed products, compliance tools and nature-linked financial consulting. NatureAlpha utilises curated datasets from the world’s most authoritative scientific, regulatory, corporate and governmental sources including internationally agreed goals as detailed in the Convention for Biodiversity and IUCN, and in line with the Task Force for Nature-related Financial Disclosures’ framework.
