On a warm summer evening last week, people gathered in Vanessa Moody’s backyard to learn more about a nonprofit that uses bees and biodiversity science to help communities and companies take meaningful action for nature.
The Urban Bee Lab leverages technologies like AI-powered microphones and environmental DNA sampling to collect and translate ecological data. It then designs programs that restore nature across both urban and rural landscapes.
UBL founder Dr. Noah Wilson-Rich spoke at the Marblehead event about an upcoming partnership with the United Nations and the International Olympic Committee called Sports For Nature. Its goal is to “deliver transformative action for nature across sports, by 2030 and beyond, enabling sports to champion nature and contribute to its protection and restoration,” according to its website.
“They’d be hiring us as a scientific consultant to inform how they can do more for biodiversity,” Wilson-Rich explained.
One example of new technology? Artificial Intelligence for your garden.
“Did you know that there’s a microphone you can put in your garden that can identify all the species living there — birds, bees, more — and report it all to your phone?” Wilson-Rich asked the group. “You might get an alert that there’s an endangered butterfly in your garden.”
He also spoke about urban biodiversity and pointed to Fenway Farms, a rooftop garden at Fenway Park that grows 6,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables every year for a local food bank.
Wilson-Rich has lofty goals for UBL, which ultimately include world peace.
“By studying bees and biodiversity, we can help alleviate food insecurity,” he said. “That will reduce conflict over resources around the world, which can lead to peace.”
To learn more about the Urban Bee Lab, visit urbanbeelab.org. To learn more about Sports For Nature, visit sportsfornature.org.
