Bosque de Chapultepec: Internet of Nature® Strategy

This project began when Natasha Huren, Director of Chapultepec, discovered the Internet of Nature Podcast and then THE NATURE OF OUR CITIES while researching how to better understand — and improve — one of the world's most important urban forests. She reached out with a simple question: would I come to Chapultepec to learn together and explore how the Internet of Nature could strengthen it?

With the generous support of Fideicomiso Probosque de Chapultepec and Natasha's leadership, I spent a week in the forest researching how we could apply the Internet of Nature approach directly — using sensors, satellite imagery, LiDAR, AI, and citizen science to monitor trees, soils, water, and biodiversity in real time. It's rare to get the chance to build and test these ideas at this scale, rather than just speak about them.

That week became a keynote for the Fideicomiso and a strategy document laying out management practices for the forest's next decade — grounding precision urban forestry technology in a long-term plan for one of the most visited urban parks in the world. I continue to advise on strategy, and I'm now actively working to raise funding to finance the projects the strategy calls for.

Chapultepec is positioned to become a global model for resilient, well-cared-for urban forests, and more is coming from this project.