NatureMetrics: measuring biodiversity for a healthier planet

A decade later, that vision is becoming a reality. Not only is NatureMetrics’s measurement of biodiversity increasingly comprehensive and widespread, but its digital platform is easy to use, providing valuable insights on entire ecosystems that allow for accountability, corrective actions and monitoring over time. 

Through its partnership with BNP Paribas, NatureMetrics has been able to magnify its impact by bringing its pioneering product to a far wider audience. This way the “nature tech” company is making a much greater contribution to preserving the environment, with only 23% of the planet’s species and 16% of its habitats in good health after a steady decline in biodiversity over recent decades. This is important, not only because over half of global GDP is directly dependent on healthy ecosystems (the other half is indirectly dependent on them), but biodiversity is the very foundation of human civilization.

Traditional methods of measuring biodiversity are time-consuming and costly, relying on direct observation and manual monitoring of individual species. But NatureMetrics’s ground-breaking approach can save months and reduce costs by orders of magnitude, democratizing data collection and creating a scalable solution for monitoring biodiversity. 

NatureMetrics’s solution also trumps traditional methods because they “only look at the very surface layer of biodiversity, the big stuff that's easy to see. But what really contributes to how our ecosystems are functioning is often the small stuff. It's the insects, it's the microorganisms, the fungi and those things we've had no eyes on. It’s the invisible part of biodiversity that's often the most important,” adds Bruce.

Samples are collected locally with straightforward kits and then sent to NatureMetrics’s laboratory where scientists identify which species are present so that they can assess an ecosystem’s health. Instead of seeking DNA from individual organisms, NatureMetrics harnesses eDNA (environmental DNA) technology to capture and analyze traces of every single living organism, down to invisible bacteria and fungi which can provide the most accurate reflection of the health of an ecosystem.

“BNP Paribas has been very important in helping us work out the commercial application of our technology for corporates and organizations who are starting to measure nature for the first time,” explains Dimple Patel, NatureMetrics’s CEO. “We are taking eDNA technology out of the labs, moving it beyond conservation and restoration projects and making it not just commercially viable but relevant across multiple industry verticals.” 

With assistance from BNP Paribas, in 2024 NatureMetrics will launch a new round of funding to support further expansion, especially in North America, as well as to increase its use of satellite imagery and bioacoustics. The plan is also to hire more data scientists and AI experts to aggregate and synthesize biodiversity data – both species and habitats – to “build a more comprehensive, holistic view of biodiversity across the globe”, according to Patel.

By ensuring that its data and technology is accessible, NatureMetrics now has over 500 clients operating in 100 countries, including multinational corporations like Anglo American and Nestlé, as well as NGOs, wildlife restoration groups, and ESG experts. But Bruce believes this is just the beginning, as biodiversity measurement becomes ever more important for the corporate world.