Zoohackathon 2020 Europe

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November 6-8, 2020 is Zoohackathon weekend ! This year, The Free Spirit Foundation, The U.S. Embassy France and the U.S. Department of State are proud to be working in close cooperation with several U.S. Embassies in Europe to facilitate the European Regional Virtual hackathon, the Zoohackathon 2020.

Over 48 hours, participants across EUR will work on problem statements and develop technology solutions to help fight wildlife trafficking via a designated central online platform. The event is designed to raise awareness, spur innovation, and educate and empower participants as well as meet Department objectives of increasing regional cooperation on environment, science, and technology, and confronting shared global challenges. At the conclusion of the event, our EUR judging panel will select the three top winning teams who will thereafter virtually present their solutions and compete for the global prize at the “final global presentation day” November 13-15.

What is a Zoohackathon ?

Zoohackathon 2020 is a global competition run by the U.S. Department of State that harnesses the power of technological innovation and the raising of public awareness to combat wildlife trafficking. It brings together coders, university students, wildlife conservation experts, zoos, and other academic and nongovernmental organizations to develop wire-frame/demo technology solution ideas over 2.5 days. We aim to turn these solution ideas into real-world technologies that can help combat wildlife trafficking into the future. In prior years, this competition was held in-person, but as COVID-19 has made that infeasible for 2020, we have developed the Virtual Global Zoohackathon 2020.

Why is this important ?

The U.S. Department of State plays an important role in the fight against wildlife trafficking by strengthening global enforcement, reducing demand for illegal wildlife products, and expanding international commitments. Zoohackathon supports these efforts by engaging new audiences to develop new tech solutions to combat wildlife trafficking and building cross-sector partnerships across governments, the private sector, and intergovernmental stakeholders.

THE CHALLENGE : TECH TO COMBAT WILDLIFE TRAFFICKING

Wildlife trafficking is one of the world’s most nefarious challenges. Trafficking in poached and living wildlife is decimating populations of iconic animals such as elephants, rhinos, and tigers. More quietly, the world faces the permanent loss of fauna as diverse as pangolins and tortoises. Local communities are losing livelihoods and their natural identities and are becoming literal battlegrounds in a fight for survival. The once occasional link between wildlife trafficking and gun, drug, and human trafficking is now a highway that involves transnational organized criminals. This illegal trade is driven by demand for exotic pets, delicacies, jewelry, decorations, and traditional medicines. Even countries that are not destination markets can play roles as transit routes. The rate of trafficking has spiked over the last few years, and time is against us. The United States and countries around the world are leading international efforts to stop this scourge and bring kingpins to justice.