Will technology save the planet?
This was the guiding question at the recent Wisdom and Action forum, where our CEO Lisa joined a panel alongside AI scientist Matt Kuperholz, Local Futures founder Helena Norberg-Hodge and writer Alexander Beiner. But early in the conversation, it became clear this question had two prerequisites: first, to define “technology”, and second, to define “save the planet”.
It’s common to think of “technology” as interchangeable with emerging innovations. There are many reasons for this: this century’s pace of innovation has overshadowed the last, Silicon Valley has become synonymous with tech, and as societies have become more urbanised and digitised we’ve grown distanced from the physical processes that support life. Emerging technologies aren’t inherently at odds with planetary wellbeing. AI, for example, could help us understand complex ecosystems, model more just economies, or even translate non-human forms of communication. However, many emerging innovations are being developed within systems that treat the Earth as a resource to be optimised — systems that reward extraction over regeneration, scale over sensitivity. If we define technology in this way, then we have to ask: who are these tools being built for, and what values are they serving? In this context, even the most powerful technologies may end up reinforcing the status quo.
Taking a step back, both in vantage point and time, “technology” is actually broadly defined as all human-made tools, systems and methods. Through this lens, fire control, agriculture, language, cameras, the printing press, sailing, fermentation, musical instruments and textile creation are all technologies. By this definition, technology is our way of responding to the world. It’s an expression of our ingenuity — and an extension of ourselves. Technology is to us what dams are to beavers and mounds are to termites. In this sense, we’re not any more separate from technology than we are from nature itself.
The phrase “save the planet” also prompts reflection. At first glance, it evokes much-needed urgency — but it also carries a kind of hubris. The planet doesn’t need saving. Given time, it will regenerate in ways we can’t yet imagine. What’s really at stake is us — and the conditions that allow life as we know it to flourish. When we talk about saving the planet, we’re really talking about preserving the delicate, interconnected systems that support clean air, fertile soil, fresh water, a stable climate, cultural continuity and community wellbeing.
However you define technology, there’s no denying it’s come to imply mastery over nature: machines to conquer the wild, algorithms to tame uncertainty. But the wild is not what threatens us now. We’ve tried and failed to control the planet. Now, we must try and succeed to stay in relationship with it. So perhaps the question isn’t will technology save the planet — but how can we apply technologies, both ancient and emerging, to reconnect us with the more-than-human world?
New loans
In the past four months, we’ve deployed two new nature-linked loans, furthering our mission to conserve and restore biodiversity through sustainable investment.
Felds Farm
Lauren and Michael are former chefs who grow high-quality seasonal produce in Lutruwita/Tasmania. By supplying local restaurants and offering produce boxes on a sliding scale, they’re committed to making fresh, locally grown food more accessible to their community. Like many small farmers in Australia, they faced the challenge of securing long-term land access, farming on leased properties while working toward stability — so we joined forces with crowdfunding lender Steward to deploy two lines of catalytic capital. In November 2024, Lauren and Michael used a land loan from Steward to purchase 100 acres. Wedgetail then provided a nature-linked loan for infrastructure to help establish the business. Of this land, a large area is native forest which will be conserved, while the remaining area will be used for farming. As they transition their operations, their initial focuses include improving soil health, planting hedgerows for pollinators and restoring native vegetation. Wedgetail is proud to support Felds Farm with our first nature-linked loan in Australia, backing their vision for a thriving, sustainable food system.
Oro Verde
Oro Verde Foods processes and exports the coffee, cacao and musk seeds grown by members of the Nor Amazónico Cooperative and the Oro Verde Cooperative. The Nor Amazónico Cooperative was formed two years ago and has 135 active members — 75% of whom are women. The Oro Verde Cooperative was established 25 years ago, in the San Martín region of Peru, which is located in a biodiversity hotspot. The cooperative has since grown to 1,200 producers — 75% of whom are from the Chanca Lamista Indigenous group. The majority of these producers are organic and regenerative, growing coffee and cacao in agroforestry systems, where crops are shaded by taller trees to boost soil health, water availability and biodiversity. In addition to bolstering local livelihoods, the Oro Verde Cooperative also supports local reforestation efforts, and has planted 2.5 million native trees and counting.
New grants
The Wedgetail Foundation deploys philanthropic capital into a range of projects — including integrated landscapes, biodiversity research, education and storytelling. In the past four months, we’ve deployed capital into five new organisations, furthering our mission to support and fund the frontiers of biodiversity regeneration.
Thin Green Line
Rangers are nature’s first responders, but they are often under-resourced and work in dangerous conditions. Thin Green Line’s mission is to directly support rangers on the frontline of conservation, enabling them to protect themselves, wildlife, communities and the future of our living planet. The organisation was built by rangers, for rangers, and has evolved since 2004 to offer a range of training programs, an equipment fund and payments for the families of fallen rangers. Wedgetail’s grant supports Thin Green Line’s LEAD Ranger program in Kenya and Zimbabwe in 2025. The program has a unique 'train-the-trainer’ model that aims to embed teaching capability and specialist knowledge within conservation organisations across Africa. Wedgetail is especially excited to work with Thin Green Line to champion our shared vision of a world in which humans work for the benefit of all species.
Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre
The Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre’s Pakana Rangers aim to eradicate feral cats from Badger and Hummocky (Mt Chappell) Islands, creating healthy Country and safe havens for native species. In partnership with other funders, Wedgetail’s grant supports initial surveys, operational planning and data analysis for this project. In the long-term, this project will lay a foundation for conservation and cultural restoration work on these and other Aboriginal-owned islands, train new rangers in land management skills, underpin the long-term health of island ecosystems and wildlife populations, and enable self-funding cultural restoration, nature conservation, and sustainable livelihoods through the generation of biodiversity credits.
Bangalow Koalas
Bangalow Koalas is a grassroots not-for-profit with a mission to restore native habitat for koalas and other endangered species across the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, Australia. By connecting existing forage trees with revegetated areas, Bangalow Koalas aims to create a wildlife corridor, allowing koalas to freely and safely move between feeding, resting and breeding areas. The organisation aims to plant 500,000 trees by the end of 2025 — and has recently celebrated the milestone of 414,000 trees planted since 2019. Wedgetail’s investment supports the planting and maintenance of 3,390 trees over 3.05 hectares. We’re particularly excited about Bangalow Koalas’ dedication to educating, involving and inspiring the local community — through a mix of planting days, educational workshops and stalls, the organisation is not only reconnecting koala habitat, but also reconnecting adults and children with the natural world.
Biodiversity Council
The Biodiversity Council is an independent group dedicated to promoting evidence-based solutions to Australia’s biodiversity crisis. Founded by 11 universities in 2022, the council aims to foster public, policy and industry recognition of the biodiversity crisis, the importance of biodiversity for wellbeing and prosperity, and positive opportunities and solutions to address these challenges. In 2023, the Biodiversity Council published its inaugural Biodiversity Concerns Survey, demonstrating that 97% of Australians want more action to protect nature. Wedgetail’s grant supports the creation and distribution of the third edition of this report. The 2025 Biodiversity Concerns Survey once again asks Australians about their connection with nature and opinions about government action or inaction, and will be a critical tool for policymakers and businesses alike.
The Tree Projects — Ghana
Ghana is home to vital tropical rainforest ecosystems — inside which are some of the least studied forest canopies on Earth. This science gap is the result of the physical difficulty of accessing these areas, the availability and cost of expert training, and the cost of professional equipment that is fit for purpose. But The Tree Projects is determined to dismantle these barriers by raising money for critical equipment for Ghanaian scientists. In 2024, the organisation raised funding to donate four sets of tree-climbing equipment. In 2025, additional funding alongside a Wedgetail grant has enabled the organisation to purchase surveying and monitoring equipment to further empower scientists undertaking ongoing canopy survey work.
Featuring in the ABC… twice!
In January, the ABC published a story on The Quoin — our living laboratory in Tasmania — and Wedgetail’s broader efforts to “de-risk business models that support the viability and profitability of private conservation work”. As journalist Ashleigh Barraclough wrote, “once Wedgetail has done the expensive work of figuring out the best business models, others can follow.”
Then in March, the ABC published another piece — this time about the release of 24 eastern quolls at The Quoin. Once common across south-eastern Australia, eastern quolls were declared extinct on the mainland in 1963, and their populations in Lutruwita/Tasmania have been in steady decline ever since. The release was part of a years-long effort to turn that trend around — led by the Tasmanian Land Conservancy, WWF Australia, University of Tasmania and the Tasmanian Quoll Conservation Program, with support from East Coast Natureworld, Devils at Cradle, Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary, Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary and others.
We’re proud of both stories — not just because they made headlines, but because of the work that made them possible. For us, they’re a reminder that meaningful change doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens when people, organisations and ideas come together with a shared commitment to nature.
The Quoin
As usual, it’s been a busy few months at our living laboratory. Highlights include:
- Hitting send on two new editions of The Quoin Journal — one focused on how we’re using leaky weirs to support rehydration, and the other on how we’re using vegetation islets to improve habitat connectivity;
- Undertaking our summer 24-25 camera trap survey;
- Targeting creeping thistle through various types of interventions;
- Improving our machinery shed;
- Preparing to plant 72 islets at Honeysuckle Flat — which has involved removing fences, marking out the islets, spraying the ground, experimenting with our cage design to ensure it’s possum-proof, installing long-term reference monitoring posts, receiving mulch and tilling and flattening the islets;
- Preparing for ecological burning season;
- Hosting the Australian Land Conversation Alliance team, and a couple of other special guests, as part of their strategy and team-building retreat; and
- Welcoming the Midlands Conservation Partnership’s Helen Morgan on site to carry out ecological monitoring in native grasslands, with a focus on critically endangered communities.
Knowledge sharing
Bronte recommends Entangled Life
Merlin Sheldrake's book is an often delightful, always surprising journey into the hidden world of fungi. From the formation of coal and the wood wide web to psilocybin, ‘zombie ants’ and cider production, this book taught me the answer to many of my questions is fungi, fungi, fungi.
Julia recommends Biodiversity Pulse
A twice-weekly roundup of biodiversity stories and news from around the world, great for staying across global developments in this space.
Karina recommends The Book of the Bird: Birds in Art
The Book of the Bird is more than just an art book, it's a celebration of how birds have inspired human creativity across generations and cultures. Whether you're an art enthusiast, ornithologist, birder or someone who appreciates the beautiful intersection of nature and artistic expression, you'll enjoy this!
Lisa recommends A Sand County Almanac
Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac is a thoughtful classic that still feels surprisingly fresh. With poetic reflections and a deep love for the natural world, Leopold encourages us to see ourselves as part of the land, not separate from it. It’s a quiet read with a powerful message.
Michael recommends Cræft: An Inquiry Into the Origins and True Meaning of Traditional Crafts
A lovely book, lovingly crafted, by Alexander Langlands. Cræft is about human skill at human scale.
Summer recommends The Genius of Birds
Jennifer Ackerman provides fascinating examples of avian behavior, communication, and cognitive abilities. The author's expertise and enthusiasm for the recall and navigational abilities of different species inspires readers to gain a newfound respect for even familiar species.
