Microsoft

Collective action, involving collaboration between governments, NGOs and companies, is critically urgent for addressing climate change and boosting biodiversity efforts. This cooperation is essential for advancing conservation efforts and achieving The Nature Conservancy’s 2030 goals. These goals include protecting vital lands and waters, tackling climate change and ensuring sustainable food and water supplies.  

Functioning at the forefront of global technology, Microsoft acknowledges its responsibility to mitigate the environmental impact of its operations by developing innovative technology and supporting collaborative problem-solving. This work benefits conservation by leveraging advanced technologies to monitor ecosystems, protect wildlife and manage natural resources more effectively. 

Supporting and working with TNC for decades, Microsoft’s commitment has focused on achieving measurable environmental outcomes, such as reducing its carbon footprint, restoring watersheds and conserving important biodiversity areas. Combining Microsoft’s technological capabilities with TNC’s conservation expertise is crucial for driving significant progress toward a sustainable future.

Restoring Watersheds

Microsoft aims to replenish more water than it consumes by 2030. To achieve this goal, Microsoft has worked with TNC to identify and support high-impact projects, including:

• Invasive species removal in Cape Town, South Africa: The Greater Cape Town Water Fund (GCTWF)—South Africa’s first water fund—launched in November 2018. For six years the GCTWF has been clearing alien and invasive species, collaborating with local partners and government agencies and employing sound science to monitor and evaluate progress. The initiative aims to restore watershed areas, protect biodiversity and secure a healthy, lasting water supply for the region, while creating green jobs for the local community. As one of multiple companies supporting this work, Microsoft has contributed to the clearing and maintaining of invasive species on 150 hectares in the priority sub-catchments of the Theewaterskloof Dam in the Western Cape Water Supply System. The GCTWF is leading with science-based monitoring of the water gains achieved through the removal of the invasive species. With the support of Microsoft, hydrological monitoring equipment and a telemetry system were installed in six watersheds as part of paired watershed experiments. This technology provides mitigation against data loss and improves data accuracy by providing real-time data updates to the science team. To learn more, see this "Fighting for River Flows" video.
• Wetland restoration and agricultural best management practices in Qiandao Lake, China: In 2018, TNC launched the Qiandao Lake Water Fund to address water stress in Zhejiang Province, China. The project is a collaboration between TNC, local communities, NGOs and research institutes, working together on wetland restoration and other nature-based solutions. Promoting best management practices to reduce pollution and soil erosion for the region’s most cultivated crops, hickory, tea and citrus, the effort paves the way for broader implementation.
• Watershed oxbow restorations in Des Moines, Iowa, USA: TNC prioritizes water restoration projects in regions that offer the most significant benefits to wildlife, water quality and flood-risk reduction. For this endeavor, TNC worked closely with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to select sites that will have the greatest impact on the recovery of endangered Topeka shiner populations throughout the watershed. The goal of the project, located in Iowa’s Boone River Watershed, is to restore 10 degraded oxbow wetlands, which are areas in a river or stream that have been cut off from the flow of water. By capturing and filtering runoff across an estimated 500 acres, the restored oxbows will provide critical wetland habitat, as well as improved water quality and reduced flooding in the immediate and downstream areas.
• Water sharing agreement in the Colorado River Basin, New Mexico, USA: Created by the Jicarilla Apache Nation, the New Mexico Interstate Stream Commission (NMISC) and TNC, this groundbreaking water sharing agreement allows the NMISC to lease up to 20,000 acre-feet of water per year from the Jicarilla Apache Nation for ten years. This project benefits threatened, endangered and sensitive fish species and increases water security in New Mexico. Additionally, it demonstrates that Tribal water-sharing agreements can enhance the social and economic resilience of Tribal communities.
• High Andean Wetlands Restoration in Santiago, Chile: With support from Microsoft, TNC has worked with local organizations and scientific partners to drive holistic efforts for water sustainability in the High Andean wetlands located in the Maipo River Basin, which provides water to millions of people, including those in the capital of Chile, Santiago. The basin is under unrelenting stress and these wetlands play a crucial role in mitigating the effects of climate change as they filter the water that comes from glaciers, regulate flows by storing water underground and help to reduce floods and coastal erosion. Preserving the precious High Andean Wetlands will ensure a steady supply of drinking and agricultural water. The project involves on-the-ground conservation of approximately 77 hectares, which contributes to broader collective actions including diverse restoration activities, the construction of pipelines and irrigation systems to enhance hydrology, creation of ditches for water retention, soil restoration techniques and installation of fences to prevent soil and vegetation deterioration. Monitoring efforts include biannual campaigns to assess fauna and flora, as well as the installation of water level sensors and specialized equipment for real-time carbon measurement. The project aims to improve biodiversity, carbon sequestration and water regulation, benefiting both the ecosystem and the local communities.

Conserving land and biodiversity

Microsoft plans to protect more land than it uses by 2030. To reach this objective, Microsoft collaborated with TNC on the following project:

• Protecting a global biodiversity hotspot: The Belize Maya Forest was identified by TNC scientists as one of the highest priority areas globally for protection to reduce species loss. Home to over 400 species of birds, 70 mammals, and hundreds of trees, plants and other flora, the forest was threatened by encroaching large-scale mechanical agriculture operations. TNC began working to protect the forest with the acquisition of the 250,000-acre Rio Bravo Reserve in 1995. In 2022, TNC had the opportunity to purchase an additional 236,000 acres of the forest that was on the verge of being cleared for agriculture. With the support of Microsoft and others, and collaborating with local partners and government entities, TNC was able to spearhead the purchase of this significant area for conservation. TNC also helped establish a local nonprofit to oversee the long-term management of the land, ensuring  lasting protection and conservation.