In this compelling interview, Erik Grigoryan explores why Armenia’s exceptional biodiversity matters not just for nature lovers, but for the world at large. He explains how Armenia belongs to two of the world’s major biodiversity hotspots and how this rich natural heritage provides crucial services to local communities. Erik sheds light on the hidden economic value of ecosystems and the urgent need to protect them. This talk makes the case for stronger environmental policy, smarter financing, and broader pu ...

[Music] 32 years ago, I fell in love with bees. It all started when I was an undergraduate. I took a class in beekeeping.The first day we went out to the bey yard for lab, we opened up a hive of honey bees and we pulled out the comb, it was covered with hundreds of little worker bees all moving around, all doing things. I didn't understand really what I was seeing, but I was struck in that moment with a profound sense of awe. I wanted to know more. I wanted to understand what they were doing.And certainly t ...

Research & Development - The world is missing out on research benefits amid biodiversity pressure and pandemic threats [1] - Biology now possesses tools for significant advancements [1] Policy & Regulation - The Nagoya Protocol is identified as a potential factor hindering research progress [1]

The world at large is forgoing the benefits of research when biodiversity is under huge pressure, the threat of pandemics looms large and biology at last has the tools to make important progress. One reason is the Nagoya protocol https://t.co/wIenJAN5nk ...

Biodiversity Conservation - Ecuador is one of the 17 most biodiverse countries on the planet, possessing four of the 36 biodiversity hotspots [4] - The speaker invested in rescuing a forest remnant of the Chocó, acquiring 12 hectares (approximately 30 acres) in Pacto, Quito [7] - The acquired forest contained 410 species of birds, including 30 species unique to the area [7][8] - The 100 hectares (approximately 247 acres) contained 35% of all bird species found in the United States (which has 983 million hectares) [8] - The initial 100 hectares were expanded to 3,050 hectares (approximately 7,537 acres) through the Fundación Futuro [8] - Conservation efforts led to the discovery of 21 new species for science [8] - Protected areas were expanded from 100 hectares to over 34,000 hectares (approximately 84,000 acres), similar in size to Cotopaxi National Park [10] - A collaboration aims to expand protected areas from 35,000 hectares to 500,000 hectares (approximately 1,235,527 acres) from Esmeraldas to Pichincha [12] Financial Mechanisms for Conservation - The speaker highlighted the need to develop financial mechanisms to compensate communities for carbon absorption by forests [13] - The speaker's foundation developed a system for a constant flow of money to communities [14] - $25 million (out of a planned $46 million over 10 years) was raised in a single year for conservation efforts [14] Future Projects - The speaker is planning to build a network of antennas to collect information from satellites in the equatorial and tropical regions [15][16] - The speaker has future plans for a geothermal plant and a 2,000-hectare (approximately 4,942 acres) solar panel plant for green hydrogen production [17] - The speaker has a vision for developing the aerospace industry in Ecuador, leveraging its equatorial location [18]

Core Business & Strategy - Basecamp Research aims to digitize nature and unlock solutions evolved in biodiversity for humanity's benefit [5] - The company is building a bridge between biotechnology and biodiversity, addressing the data wall in biology [6][7] - Basecamp Research positions itself as a data company, utilizing AI models to interrogate and represent biological data [9] - The company's mission is to map global biodiversity, rivaling the Human Genome Project in scientific advancement [32][33] - Basecamp Research is scaling its database by 10x annually, presenting a significant engineering challenge [21] Data & Technology - The company converts biological material into data, processing hundreds of millions of CPU hours with billions of annotations [4][2] - Basecamp Research's data asset aims to represent the diversity in nature, enabling scaling laws in biology and transforming biotechnology [9] - The company collaborates with Microsoft and NVIDIA to scale models on large compute systems, combining data and model scaling expertise [14][26][28] - Basecamp Research leverages Azure and NVIDIA BioNeMo to optimize architectures for its unique data, training foundation models [25][26][27] Biodiversity & Impact - Costa Rica, covering 0.03% of Earth's surface, holds approximately 6% of the world's biodiversity, making it a key location for data collection [3] - Basecamp Research enhances capacity in bioeconomy locations by building labs, sharing data, and training scientists [37] - The company aims to pass revenue back to partner countries, demonstrating the value of biodiversity data [38]

Core Insights - Jeff Bezos is appointing Tom Taylor, a veteran Amazon executive, as the new president and CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund, which has a capital of $10 billion dedicated to climate and biodiversity initiatives [1][2] - The Bezos Earth Fund was launched in 2020 with the goal of combating climate change by providing grants to various organizations and aims to distribute all its capital by 2030 [3][4] Leadership Transition - Tom Taylor, who previously led Amazon's Alexa division and has over 23 years of experience at Amazon, will replace Andrew Steer, who stepped down in February [2][4] - Taylor expressed enthusiasm for leading the fund, emphasizing a commitment to innovative solutions for environmental challenges [3] Fund Activities - The Bezos Earth Fund has already distributed $2.3 billion in grants to support environmental efforts [4] - Since stepping down as CEO of Amazon in 2021, Bezos has increased his involvement with the fund and has donated Amazon shares to it [4]

Investment Rating - The report highlights the Digital Currency theme as an attractive investment opportunity, ranking it among the top themes for performance and attractiveness [4][10][24]. Core Insights - The Digital Currency theme has shown strong performance, returning 15.1% in June, which is a significant +2 standard deviation compared to the past 12 months [4][24]. - The report indicates a shift in theme rankings, with Cloud Computing replacing Hydro Energy in the top 10 most attractive themes due to improved Estimates Momentum [3][10]. - The overall performance of the themes has been positive, with a return spread of 1.09% between the most and least attractive themes in June [2][15]. Summary by Sections Theme Performance - Digital Currency has been the best-performing theme over various periods, including the last month, year-to-date, and the last three years [4][24]. - The Biodiversity theme is noted as the worst performer [4]. Notable Theme Changes - The only change in the top 10 themes is the introduction of Digital Currency and Cloud Computing, reflecting a positive shift in market sentiment towards these sectors [3][10]. - The report also notes that the Education Tech theme has seen a significant improvement in ranking, moving from 67th to 35th [36]. Investment Style Insights - For value-focused investors, Biofuels and Belt & Road are highlighted as attractive themes [5][40]. - Defensive investors may consider themes like Risky Business and Generics & Biosimilars, which rank highly on Low Risk metrics [5][39].

Environmental Concerns & Amazon's Significance - The Amazon basin, shared by eight countries, spans over 7 million square kilometers, almost the size of Europe, holding rich biodiversity [3][4] - The Amazon produces 20% of the world's oxygen, holds 20% of the world's fresh waters, 60% of tropical forests, and 10% of all animal and plant species [5][6] - The Amazon can absorb over 2 billion tons of CO2 annually, about 5% of global emissions, but deforestation is approaching a tipping point [6][7] - Deforestation has reached 17-20%, with the tipping point at 25%, potentially causing the rainforest to become a savannah-like ecosystem that releases CO2 [7][8] Threats & Environmental Crime - Illegal mining in areas like the Orinino mining arc in Venezuela, covering approximately 112,000 square kilometers (the size of Portugal), leads to environmental and humanitarian crises [13][14] - Environmental crime, including illegal mining, logging, land grabbing, drug trafficking, and human trafficking, is a vast network spanning the Amazon rainforest [17] Solutions & Call to Action - The Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, comprising eight Amazonian nations, signed the Bellon declaration prioritizing security in the Amazon [21][22] - COP 30, the UN's climate change conference, will take place in the Amazon in Belém, Brazil, providing a platform for global leaders to address the issue [22] - Consumers can support environmentally friendly products with certifications like the Rainforest Alliance [24] - A call to action urges young people to push policymakers to cooperate and address the complex network of environmental crime [25][26]

Environmental Concerns & Importance of Coral Reefs - Oceans provide all life on Earth, nourish with food, produce oxygen, and offer leisure activities [1] - Coral reefs and coral gardens are vital ecosystems, serving as oases in the ocean [2] - Two-thirds of coral reside in deeper, colder waters, including along the European coast [3] - Coral gardens are as crucial as tropical reefs, providing shelter and nurseries for fish [4][5] Threats to Coral Gardens - Coral gardens face threats, including climate change, coral bleaching, and warming waters [6] - Unregulated or illegal fishing poses a significant threat due to the rich biodiversity attracting fishing vessels [6] - Fishing nets entangle and destroy corals, with bycatch often exceeding target fish [7][8] Conservation and Restoration Strategies - Awareness of coral garden existence is crucial for protection [9] - Protecting coral gardens allows for recovery and serves as nurseries for other corals [10] - Coral restoration is necessary when coral gardens are devastated [11] - Fragmenting healthy corals and transplanting them onto degraded reefs is one restoration method [14] - Coral seeding, involving lab-based fertilization and transplantation of baby corals, enhances diversity [19][20] - Combining fragmentation and coral seeding yields the best restoration results [20] Research and Development - Research is being conducted to apply coral seeding techniques to European coral species [21] - Studies focus on coral biology, spawning mechanisms, and optimal conditions for coral larvae [22][23][24] - Transplanting baby corals into nurseries allows for observation and comparison of growth rates [25] Call to Action - The ocean's condition can be overwhelming, but action is possible [26][27] - Collaboration between scientists and individuals with diverse abilities is essential to save coral gardens [27]