Gazelle and Shell Collaborate on Technology Infrastructure for Nature-Based Solutions

Gazelle, a climate-tech company and grassland project developer, announced a continued partnership with Shell to develop and deploy the Gazelle Hub, an innovative digital Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) platform that quantifies, tracks, and verifies large volumes of field and remotely-sensed data from nature-based carbon projects. Nature-based solutions comprise all activities related to the protection and enhancement of natural ecosystems – such as forests, grasslands, wetlands, and coastal zones – or projects that improve agricultural sustainability to help absorb or prevent the release of greenhouse gases. Working with nature like this has been acknowledged by organizations such as the International Panel on Climate Change as an important tool in limiting global warming to 1.5°C.

“Gazelle combines an innovative digital platform with extensive knowledge of models, remote sensing technology, financial forecasting, and other associated methodology calculations and algorithms. We are very excited to follow their remarkable journey and work with them as they embark on Phase Two of the GameChanger project, unlocking knowledge, support, and connections to scale their business and make a groundbreaking impact on the energy landscape,” said Marlies Lukkes, Commercial Partnerships Manager at Shell Gamechanger, and Jessica Hinojosa, NBS Team Lead at Shell in Houston, in a joint message.

Shell Gamechanger works with start-ups and businesses on unproven early-stage technologies that have the potential to impact the future of energy. As part of Phase Two with Shell’s GameChanger programme, Gazelle builds on the remarkable progress from Phase One. Phase One took place after the 2022 Climate-Smart Agriculture Challenge with Shell & SVG Ventures THRIVE. This collaboration aims to commercially launch the Gazelle Hub worldwide beginning 2024. Gazelle Hub will enable project developers to build high integrity nature-based carbon projects by streamlining management for project data, automating continuous monitoring, and generating AI-powered reports in line with existing standards. “Our team is thrilled to continue our partnership with Shell on technologies with the potential to deliver on significant cost savings for developers while improving transparency for voluntary markets,” said Amod Daherkar, co-founder and CEO at Gazelle.

The need for reliable infrastructure to build nature-based projects at scale is seen through critical gaps identified by developers, offtakers, and third parties in voluntary markets. This is particularly visible in the areas of data management, baselining, leakage, and audit readiness which have caused both reputational harm and risks to scaling the needed climate action. “The bottom-line is, communities that ultimately rely on carbon financing to fund conservation and protect at-risk ecosystems pay the price of failed projects. Gazelle Hub is a tool which streamlines cumbersome and expensive processes for all parties involved,” said Amod Daherkar, CEO at Gazelle. “Carbon projects are only as good as the data we can reliably track and verify which is why Gazelle is actively bridging this transparency gap.”

The full platform is being developed in tandem with rigorous in-situ field testing across Gazelle’s carbon project sites in southern Africa with input from Shell’s Nature Based Solutions (NBS) business. The Kalahari region was chosen by Gazelle due to its vast savannahs, on-the-ground presence, and potential for high-quality grassland projects. Gazelle’s userbase, which include ranchers and landowners, on other platforms such as the Ranch Resource Sentinel will benefit by connecting land-use data from the app with a single platform bridging project developers, landowners, and stakeholders.

“Our strategic partnership with Shell through the Shell Gamechanger program has been an exciting and immensely rewarding journey, enabling novel technology development and immense progress within Gazelle's technology ecosystem and beyond," said Siddharth Thakur, co-founder and CTO at Gazelle.

"As Gazelle continues to scale our technologies and provide novel solutions to meet imminent needs in the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM), our partnership and technical integration with Shell and Shell's Nature Based Solutions team will prove integral to building solutions that help lay foundational pathways of trust and transparency for the VCM at large. I am thrilled to be collaborating with Shell and continuing our strong partnership, and excited to see our teams accomplish significant milestones in the coming months!" said Siddharth Thakur, CTO at Gazelle.

The project developers and voluntary market participants are invited to join Gazelle’s limited waitlist for partners interested in early-access beta testing and validation.