This is the Trace Id: cd42b3b8774c58b821cf0348eb997f1f
Aerial view of terraced rice fields surrounded by tropical vegetation.

Ecosystems

Explore Microsoft’s progress toward our commitment to protect and preserve ecosystems.

Our commitment

In 2020, we committed to protect and preserve ecosystems by putting data and digital technologies to work; empowering partners and customers; using our voice on ecosystem-related public policy issues; and taking responsibility for our land footprint by protecting more land than we use by 2025, a target which we achieved by more than 30%.

Our approach

We're advancing our progress through a focused framework:

Using data and AI to restore ecosystems

We equip researchers, governments, NGOs, and businesses with data-driven insights to identify risks, guide restoration, and scale more effective conservation strategies.

Funding community-based restoration and conservation

We fund and support ecosystem restoration and protection to strengthen biodiversity and resilience around the world.

Designing with nature across our operations and projects

We design our campuses, datacenters, products, and supply chains with nature in mind—reducing waste and embedding sustainability across how we build and operate.

Building and strengthening nature-based markets

We scale markets for nature-based solutions through our Climate Innovation Fund portfolio investments and strategic partnerships.

Using data and AI to restore ecosystems

Satellite view of a coastal region showing bays, peninsulas, urban areas, and green forested land.

Harnessing geospatial data for real-world impact

The Planetary Computer combines petabytes of global environmental data with user-friendly tools, helping scientists and conservation leaders turn data into actionable insights.

Aerial view of a winding river snaking through a dense, vibrant green rainforest.

Advancing conservation with AI

Through Microsoft’s AI for Good Lab, we help researchers monitor and report on ecosystem health to address biodiversity challenges worldwide.

Funding community-based restoration and conservation

Close-up of hands planting young seedlings into soil in a nursery tray.

Supporting regenerative agriculture with the Agoro Carbon Alliance

By advancing practices like native grass seeding, our agreement with the Agoro Carbon Alliance will generate an estimated 2.6 million soil organic carbon removal credits while strengthening US farm resilience and restoring soil health, water retention, and biodiversity.

Rolling hills and dense forest with scattered farmland in the distance.

Restoring forests with the Kijani Smallholder Farmer Project

In Uganda, the Kijani Forestry Smallholder Farmer Project—one of Africa’s largest restoration efforts—restores degraded land, stores carbon, and strengthens rural livelihoods through community-led reforestation.

Designing with nature across our operations and projects

A line of young trees planted along a fence outside a datacenter.

Applying biomimicry in North Holland

Designed in response to community input, our Middenmeer datacenter integrates landscaping that reflects resilient local ecosystems, including 150 trees and 2,300 square meters of native greenery that support biodiversity.

Aerial view of Microsoft datacenter in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Reducing urban heat

We work to design our datacenters with reflective materials, permeable pavements, and vegetated surfaces to lower temperatures, improve stormwater management, and support LEED heat reduction standards.

Building and strengthening nature-based markets

Wetlands along the wildlife drive in North Carolina.

Restoring pocosin wetlands through the Pantheon Regeneration project

Through the Pantheon Regeneration project, Microsoft supports peatland restoration at The Pocosin Ecological Reserve—one of the first commercial-scale wetland projects in the US—restoring natural water tables, enhancing biodiversity, and removing millions of tons of carbon.

A vibrant green forest featuring tall trees, dense foliage, and moss-covered roots.

Advancing global carbon markets

Symbiosis, a coalition backed by Microsoft, Google, Meta, and Salesforce, aims to scale high-integrity markets for nature-based carbon removal. Efforts focus on forest restoration, agroforestry, and emerging blue carbon projects with a goal of contracting 20 million tons of high-quality removals by 2030.

Innovation

Learn more about how Microsoft is using AI to accelerate ecosystem protection progress.
Follow Microsoft