FOS at ICTC 2026

Foundations of Success is excited to take part in the first ever International Conservation Technology Conference (ICTC 2026), co-organized by WILDLABS and a coalition of partners. We'll be at both the pre-conference workshops and the main conference in Lima, Peru bringing you some of our newest insights and most trusted tools. Registration is open until 6 February!

Find us here

Pre-conference half-day workshop: Strategy to Impact: Practical Training in the Conservation Standards & Miradi (organizers: Kari Stiles / FOS, Sara Estlander / FOS Europe, Brian Knowles / Miradi Software, and Annette Stewart / CMP & Bush Heritage Australia), Monday 16 February.

In the session Data-Driven Decision-Making for Conservation and Policy, Wednesday 18 February:

In addition, you will find us in the exhibition hall at the CMP/Miradi booth. And check out some of the exciting sessions by our partners! 

Strategy to Impact: Practical Training in the Conservation Standards & Miradi 

Mon 16 Feb, 8 AM –12:30 PM, Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología (UTEC)

Organizers:
 Kari Stiles, Miradi Project Manager
 Sara Estlander, Miradi UX Designer
 Brian Knowles, Miradi Technical Lead
Annette Stewart, Conservation Measures Partnership & Bush Heritage Australia

This workshop uses the Conservation Standards (CS) methodology and Miradi software to equip participants with the skills to design, manage, and refine conservation projects and programs, and maintain a high quality, structured database. Participants will leave with the ability to build and manage a project in Miradi, develop work plans grounded in a robust theory of change, create monitoring plans focused on the highest priority, decision-critical information, and export data for use in other commonly used applications. This training supports organizational accountability, maximizes resource efficiency, and ensures monitoring efforts focus on highest priority data. As our capacity to collect data grows, it is increasingly important that we invest in making sure our data collection is focused on the most useful information, not just the most available information. By establishing a clear planning pathway and adaptive management processes and tools (e.g., measurable objectives), participants ensure their field actions (the tactical responses) are purposeful, effective, and defensible to funders.

Throughout the workshop, training exercises will emphasize the relationship and connections between business processes and conservation technology, differentiating between strategic processes and technologies (like the CS and Miradi) and tactical responses and technologies (like SMART and EarthRanger). We will discuss the key elements of a structured conservation dataset, and we will explore data integration pathways to support adaptive management, including tools for manual data sharing between platforms and the Miradi API. No prior experience with the CS or Miradi is required. Participants must bring a laptop with Wi-Fi access. A complementary 60-day Miradi trial license and access to the full suite of Miradi features will be provided.

There are only a few places left and registration closes 30 January, so register now!

Miradi Software - Support for strategic decision-making to enhance tactical responses 

Wed 18 Feb, 1:50 PM –2:00 PM, Cusco 3

Speakers:
Kari Stiles, Miradi Project Manager
Brian Knowles, Miradi Technical Lead

This session introduces Miradi and demonstrates how teams use it to develop measurable, manageable strategic plans to guide their on-the-ground work and increase conservation impact. We will use case studies to showcase how Miradi is used in combination with other conservation tech to guide the work of on-the-ground patrols, ensure monitoring efforts are focused on the highest priority data collection needs, and feed information back into Miradi to support analysis and adaptation of conservation plans. Case studies will include examples from small local NGOs to large, country-wide governmental agencies, and will span the range of conservation efforts including protected area management, species-specific conservation, and threat-reduction efforts such as combatting wildlife trafficking.

From data to decisions: A question-first approach for conservation impact 

Wed 18 Feb, 2:00 PM –2:10 PM, Cusco 3

Speakers:
Sara Estlander, FOS Europe
Annette Stewart, Conservation Measures Partnership & Bush Heritage Australia

Conservation projects often invest heavily in data collection but remain “data-rich and information-poor.” This session introduces a question-first approach that starts with critical management decisions rather than raw data. We’ll explore why traditional data-first methods fail, present a user-centred design process, and showcase real-world dashboards built to answer key questions and drive adaptive management. Attendees will gain practical insights to optimise monitoring, save resources, and ensure data truly informs strategic action for greater conservation impact.

More time talking, less time trawling: AI-powered assessment of diverse conservation evidence

Wed 18 Feb, 2:20 PM –2:30 PM, Cusco 3

Speaker: Sara Estlander, FOS Europe

Stop drowning in different types of evidence – use AI to start making sense of it! This session introduces the BEAM (Balance Evidence Assessment Method) Agent, a new AI tool designed to automate the laborious process of sifting through and analysing diverse conservation evidence, from scientific papers to grey literature and local testimony. We will demonstrate how this tool quickly processes complex information and assesses it in light of learning topics, freeing teams from tedious, time-consuming analysis. The result: more time for the crucial human work of interpretation, collaborative discussion, and translating insights into effective conservation action.

Read more about BEAM:

From Silos to Systems: The Case for Conservation Data Standards

Wed 18 Feb, 3:30 PM –5:00 PM, Cusco 3

Speakers:
Annette Stewart, Conservation Measures Partnership & Bush Heritage Australia
Kari Stiles, Foundations of Success
Brian Knowles, Miradi Software

Conservation projects generate diverse datasets—from species observations and habitat maps to threat assessments and community metrics. Yet without shared data standards, these datasets remain siloed, limiting collaboration and tool integration. This session explores the transformative potential of an integrated set of data standards for conservation. We’ll examine key benefits including interoperability, data sharing, and scalability, and showcase a real-world example where standardization of conservation project information has accelerated impact. Participants will engage in a collaborative discussion to identify existing de-facto standards and pathways toward consensus - a roadmap to smarter, more connected conservation.

Learn about the Conservation Standards and Miradi Adaptive Management Software

Come visit the double booth for the Conservation Measures Partnership and Miradi in the exhibition hall! Learn about what's new in CS 5.0 and the new and upcoming features of Miradi.

Sessions by FOS partners

Don’t miss these exciting sessions by our partners!

See the full conference agenda on the conference website.

Photo credit: Nature.Catcher, Flickr (cropped and rotated). CC BY-SA 2.0

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