Conservation Data Income

Conservation Data Income, or CDI, is GainForest’s approach to rewarding communities for ecological data collection and stewardship knowledge.

It is part of GainForest’s broader work beyond Bumicerts, but it connects to the same idea: environmental data should create value for the people and communities who collect, protect, and understand it.

What CDI does

CDI explores ways for local and Indigenous communities to be paid for useful conservation data, such as:

• bioacoustic recordings

• drone imagery

• biodiversity monitoring data

• ecosystem observations

• other locally collected environmental data

As of 2024, GainForest has paid out more than USD 32,000 in Conservation Data Income to communities supporting conservation efforts across the globe.

Community-led pricing and governance

In CDI pilots, the market price for data is set with the community. Communities can use a Data Council to guide questions such as:

• who owns the data

• what can be shared

• what should stay private

• how data should be priced

• how benefits should be distributed

Data Council

Where CDI has been used

GainForest has implemented CDI in remote regions including the Amazon rainforest and the Southern Philippines.

In some locations, CDI has helped fund digital infrastructure such as monthly Starlink subscriptions for communities and local NGOs, making it easier for them to participate in environmental data systems and digital commons.