RIYADH: The next major frontier in environmental conservation is being forged in digital data centers. As artificial intelligence and real-time tracking reshape ecological management, technology is allowing scientists to restore entire ecosystems at speeds previously unimaginable. Speaking to Arab News on the sidelines of the LEAP 5 tech conference in Riyadh, Andrew Zaloumis, CEO of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve (PMBSRR), highlighted why tech leaders must invest in biodiversity. According to Zaloumis, IT infrastructure represents the new frontier for conservation, offering an unprecedented mechanism for scaling projects. He noted that recent bioacoustic breakthroughs—such as studies using advanced audio modeling to reveal that elephants call one another by individual names—demonstrate how technology is shifting human capability from attempting to command nature to genuinely understanding animal communication and behavior. Proactive science at scale Continuous data streams from satellite tags, drones, and oceanographic sensors have shifted conservation strategy away from late-stage crisis response toward predictive management. “Historically conservation has been reactive,” Zaloumis said. “There's an oil spill, there's a problem, how do we sort it out. Increasingly using IT we are becoming proactive. So you're actually beginning to do things and steer things before they actually happen. And that's a game changer.” By monitoring real-time metrics such as water temperature, turbidity, and diving depth, conservationists gain immediate insights into ecosystem health across vast geographic spans. For migratory marine life, such as sea turtles in the Red Sea that travel through the waters of eight different nations, this continuous telemetry enables seamless cross-border management. This digital approach aligns directly with Saudi Arabia's rapid environmental expansion under the Saudi Green Initiative, which recently earned UN recognition for its global restoration achievements within six years of launch. Rebuilding the ecological pyramid Spanning an area more than twice the size of Lebanon, PMBSRR serves as a living laboratory for large-scale rewilding. Having successfully reintroduced 14 native species—including the Persian onager—the reserve is now preparing for its next ecological phase. Zaloumis emphasized that rewilding must be approached as a step-by-step pyramid, with the reserve now turning its focus to the caracal. While these medium-sized felines are highly threatened globally by poaching and habitat loss, improved local land management and strict anti-poaching controls have made their return to the reserve possible. This recovery phase lays the critical groundwork for bringing back top-tier apex predators to the region. “We are now in a position in PMBSRR to bring back caracal, because poaching is being brought under control and the habitat environment has increased and improved fundamentally,” he said. “And for us, it's a big stepping stone because it's a lesson learned for where we are ultimately going, which is Asiatic lion. It did occur in Saudi Arabia. There are about 300 left in the wild in other countries. And along with leopard and along with cheetah, they are charismatic apex predators that you introduce. So every time we introduce a new species, you're moving up the food chain. We're getting closer and closer to the dominant predators next to man.” AI as the engine for Vision 2030 targets As the Kingdom works to protect 30 percent of its land and marine territory by 2030—up from 8 percent a decade ago—AI tools are automating tasks that previously took months to process manually. Zaloumis pointed out that image recognition models trained on camera trap data can instantly identify concealed animals, such as ibex, across thousands of photos, giving managers immediate operational intelligence. Looking ahead, emerging innovations like smart collars and "invisible fences" will enable the management of wildlife across corridors spanning up to 70,000 square kilometers, creating substantial career opportunities for young Saudi talent. “There are many new streams coming on, and young minds is what it's all about—people with imagination,” Zaloumis concluded. “Once you've imagined this, you can find solutions. And I think AI is a major driver in that.”