Our standardized training curriculum is delivered by female experts (academics, practitioners, and government professionals) working in conservation and conservation technology within the local region. These women serve not only as instructors, but also mentors and collaborators. By centering local female role models, we help participants envision pathways for their own careers while strengthening their ties to regional research and conservation communities. We strive to foster an inclusive environment for honest dialogue around challenges of being a woman in conservation technology and encourage lasting mentorship relationships beyond the formal training period.

However, the gender gap we seek to address can make it difficult to identify and recruit female trainers in certain technical fields. In response, we have defined three distinct roles to broaden the support system for participants:

• Mentors: Local female role models who lead sessions and provide ongoing mentorship.
• Allies: Male trainers and facilitators who actively support our commitment to gender equity and inclusive training spaces.
• Trainers: Members of the international organizing team who provide additional instruction and logistical support.

Together, these individuals play a critical role in delivering content, fostering participant growth, and modeling diverse forms of leadership across the conservation technology landscape.

Host institutions are selected based on their capacity to support both classroom and field-based instruction, and on their engagement with active conservation challenges where technology plays a meaningful role. For instance, the RISE Grumeti Fund in Tanzania is an ideal training site, offering educational facilities, student accommodations, and running active, tech-enabled initiatives such as anti-poaching and rhino protection programs.

Furthermore, we prioritize institutions that share our commitment to advancing education for women and early-career conservationists, have strong ties to local conservation and research communities, and demonstrate leadership in integrating technology into conservation practice. These partnerships are essential to ensuring our program is both sustainable and deeply embedded in the communities it aims to serve.

The Arribada Clubs integrate conservation technology into their STEM curriculum to teach students practical applications for environmental monitoring and problem-solving. Students learn GPS mapping, bioacoustic data analysis, microcomputer programming, and 3D printing to address conservation challenges. They design prototypes, analyze biodiversity data, and create digital libraries of natural specimens using 3D scanning, directly applying their learning to conservation efforts.

This building block leverages Declas, an open-source AI tool, to automate vulture monitoring. By analyzing images or videos, it detects and classifies species with high accuracy. The system eliminates manual counting, enabling scalable, cost-effective wildlife tracking. Users—researchers, rangers, or conservationists—simply upload visual data, and the tool generates real-time insights for informed decision-making. Built on YOLOv11 (Ultralytics) and trained on crowdsourced data.

The framework ensures that the AI model is robust and generalizable across different regions and habitats. Data collected is used to test the model’s ability to recognize vulture species in diverse conditions, providing feedback for further optimization.

This building block democratizes access to cutting-edge technology, enabling scalable and cost-effective wildlife monitoring. Users can upload images or videos, and the application automatically detects and classifies species, providing actionable insights for decision-making.

In terms of overall architectural appearance, the courtyard enclosed layout is retained, with a focus on creating courtyard space. The building color is mainly green and gray, inheriting traditional charm. At the same time, simplify the complex decoration of traditional architecture and use modern and simple lines.
The main structure of the building continues the traditional wooden structure form and adopts mortise and tenon technology to ensure the integrity of the structure. Using rough stones and strip stones as the foundation, effective moisture-proof and anti-corrosion measures are achieved to ensure the durability and applicability of the building. In terms of materials, in addition to traditional wood and bricks, new materials such as metal and glass are also combined to enhance living comfort and quality. Color matching adds flexibility to traditional colors, creating a warm and fashionable atmosphere. The internal space layout is more in line with modern living needs, with open living rooms, dining rooms, etc., combining traditional artistic conception with modern functions.

La visión indígena de la naturaleza como un legado prestado de las generaciones futuras fomenta la sostenibilidad y el respeto por los recursos naturales.

La participación en ceremonias como las ofrendas a las deidades de montaña (hirkas) antes de los trabajos de mantenimiento ayuda a mantener el equilibrio cultural y ecológico de la región.

Según los comuneros, algunos elementos naturales (piedras, agua, tierra, troncos) que son materia prima para la arquitectura tradicional, tienen comportamientos no convencionales ante ciertas condiciones temporales o estacionales. Por ejemplo, el uso del agua en la elaboración de estructuras se encontraría vinculada con las fases de la luna: se asegura una mayor resistencia y proceso de compactación en la elaboración de la tapia o tapial durante la fase de luna llena. En esta esfera de aprendizaje recíproco con el medio natural, se establece también una relación con entidades hieráticas o espirituales que son parte o habitan en estos medios, de allí la necesidad de desarrollar diversos rituales conmemorativos para mantener el orden y la armonía con la naturaleza, los cuales forman parte de un amplio repertorio simbólico.

Las comunidades locales, incluyendo ancianos, mujeres y niños, son actores clave en la gestión y mantenimiento de los caminos incaicos, lo que fortalece la cohesión social y preserva conocimientos ancestrales, como los sistemas de drenaje y la predicción del clima.