BIO-CAPITAL links finance, policy, and remote sensing to redefine biodiversity’s value. Led by Oikoplus, the team uses clear narratives—like the zoo metaphor—to explain how geospatial analytics and financial tools can attract private investment for biodiversity protection.
Commentary by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hynek Roubík: For decades, biodiversity was seen as a moral and ecological duty, not a financial one. Now, as climate finance expands and sustainability enters boardrooms, the question has shifted from whether to invest in nature to how. Biodiversity urgently needs a viable business model.
In southwest England, the BIO-CAPITAL project combines wetland restoration with satellite technology to measure biodiversity recovery. By linking field data with Earth Observation insights, it turns ecological change into measurable — and potentially valuable — natural capital.
BIO-CAPITAL will be present at the ESA Living Planet Symposium 2025 in Vienna to present new research on biodiversity certificates.
At the 2025 BIO-CAPITAL General Assembly in Prague, partners explored synergies with the Horizon Europe COMUNIDAD project, highlighting how space-based Earth Observation, participatory service design, and innovative finance can jointly advance biodiversity monitoring, sustainable development, and global investment frameworks.
For biodiversity finance to drive real change, it must be widely understood and trusted. BIO-CAPITAL’s Work Package 6, led by Oikoplus is developing a communication, dissemination and engagement strategy to bridge the gap between research and real-world impact.
How Can Businesses Prove Their Commitment to Biodiversity? BIO-CAPITAL’s Work Package 5 (WP5), led by UCLouvain, is developing a trusted Biodiversity Certification system to ensure transparency and credibility in conservation investments.
Securing funding for biodiversity conservation requires innovative financial solutions beyond traditional grants and donations. BIO-CAPITAL’s Work Package 4 (WP4), led by GND, is developing investment models that make biodiversity protection economically viable.
Restoring Nature Is One Thing—Proving It Works Is Another. Effective biodiversity conservation requires measurable proof of impact to attract investment and drive large-scale change. BIO-CAPITAL’s Work Package 3 (WP3), led by GEOSYS, is pioneering high-precision biodiversity monitoring using Earth observation, AI-driven analytics, and remote sensing.
Who will finance biodiversity protection? While governments play a role, private investment is crucial, too. BIO-CAPITAL WP2 tackles this challenge by mapping financial landscapes, identifying policy gaps, and exploring investment mechanisms.
Bio-Capital Use Case 5 focuses on restoring river corridors and wetlands in South Devon, UK. Discover how nature-based solutions and financial innovations are helping to restore biodiversity, improve water quality, and build climate resilience in this vital landscape.
Slovenia’s species-rich grasslands restoration is at core of Use Case 4 of the Bio-Capital project. We want to study how financial incentives and sustainable land management practices can drive biodiversity conservation in one of Europe’s ecological hotspots.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
