How can biodiversity be measured, valued and financed on farms — in ways that work for farmers, policymakers and investors alike? This question was at the heart of the BIO-CAPITAL Technical Day on Biodiversity in Agriculture, held in Toulouse and organised by Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation as part of the BIO-CAPITAL Horizon Europe project.

Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation, one of the French partners in our project, regularly hosts its J-TECH event series. The last event on 4 December was devoted in detail to the topics covered by BIO-CAPITAL. The event brought together regional authorities, researchers, Earth observation experts, financial actors and practitioners for a full day of presentations, discussions and exchanges — highlighting both what already works in biodiversity remuneration, and what is still missing to scale it.

Setting the scene: BIO-CAPITAL and its objectives

The day opened with an overview of the BIO-CAPITAL project, presented by Romane Bizieau (Agri Sud-Ouest Innovation). BIO-CAPITAL aims to mobilise both public and private funding for biodiversity conservation and restoration by combining innovative financial mechanisms with satellite-based monitoring. Participants were introduced to the project’s use cases, ongoing work on biodiversity indicators, and the broader ambition to design credible frameworks for biodiversity certificates that can complement existing public instruments.

The regional context was then outlined by Natacha Racinais and Bénédicte Goffre from the Regional Biodiversity Agency (ARB) Occitanie. Their presentation highlighted the ecological pressures facing agriculture in the region — from habitat fragmentation and pesticide use to pollinator decline — alongside the diversity of public instruments already in place.

Measuring biodiversity on farms: ecology meets Earth observation

A central part of the Technical Day focused on how biodiversity can be measured at farm scale in a way that is both scientifically sound and operational. From an ecological perspective, Jean-Louis Hemptinne (ENSFEA) reminded participants that biodiversity is not simply about counting species, but about genetic diversity and ecological interactions that sustain ecosystem functioning and resilience. He emphasised the importance of landscape structure as a practical proxy for biodiversity outcomes: the share and distribution of (semi-)natural habitats, field morphology, crop rotations and agroforestry.

This ecological framing was complemented by a technical deep dive into remote sensing and indicators, presented by Harold Clenet (EarthDaily Agro) and Lisa Delvaux (UCLouvain). They demonstrated how satellite data can be used to map hedgerows, ponds, mowing frequency, bare soil and crop diversity, and how time series allow changes in practices to be tracked over time. The key message was clear: scalable biodiversity finance depends on robust proxy indicators, combining satellite data, administrative datasets and targeted field verification — rather than costly and incomplete biological inventories.

Financing biodiversity on farms: public schemes and private potential

The late-morning roundtable addressed one of the most practical questions of the day: how to finance biodiversity on farms. Romane Jubera (Agrosolutions) and Sylvie Jego (Agence de l’Eau Adour-Garonne) presented concrete examples of Payments for Environmental Services (PES) already operating at scale. These schemes remunerate farmers for biodiversity-friendly practices that go beyond legal requirements, using clearly defined indicators and transparent payment thresholds.

At the same time, Flore Bastelica (Carbone 4) discussed the emerging role of biodiversity certificates as a way to channel private finance into biodiversity outcomes. Unlike regulatory offsets, these certificates are conceived as voluntary contributions aligned with territorial strategies, designed to complement — not replace — public funding.

Farm representatives and advisers underlined the importance of economic viability, low transaction costs and simple frameworks, as well as the need to strengthen value chains that can sustain biodiversity-friendly practices beyond subsidies.

A shared takeaway from the day

Across presentations and discussions, a shared conclusion emerged: biodiversity remuneration already exists, but scaling it requires clearer frameworks, trusted measurement and stronger coordination between public and private actors.

This is precisely the space BIO-CAPITAL is working in — testing indicators, monitoring approaches and financing mechanisms that can make biodiversity funding more transparent, credible and accessible for farmers and investors alike: Biodiversity is not the cherry on the cake: it must become the main weave of agriculture.

The full recording of the Technical Day is available here (English subtitles available):
👉  www.youtube.com

How wetlands in southwest England help shape the future of biodiversity monitoring

In the rolling hills of southwest England, rivers remember how they once flowed free. Today, those memories are being revived — through careful restoration and new technologies that help make nature’s recovery visible, measurable, and ultimately valuable.

This short documentary follows the BIO-CAPITAL project as it explores how Earth Observation (EO) data can reveal the ecological impact of river and wetland restoration — and how this information could one day form the basis of measurable biodiversity value.

Restoring Rivers — and Rethinking Value

At the heart of this story is the Westcountry Rivers Trust (WRT), an environmental charity that has been protecting rivers and wetlands across southwest England for decades. Field officer Rachel spends most of her time knee-deep in streams, creating ponds, bunds, and scrapes designed to slow water and give space back to nature.

“Monitoring biodiversity uplift is one of the hardest parts of any restoration project,” Rachel explains. “It’s often underfunded — and that’s why exploring satellite imagery is so exciting for us.”

BIO-CAPITAL brings together this local expertise with EarthDaily Agro’s experience in remote sensing. Using GPS data and field observations, remote-sensing expert Harold compares what satellites can see from above with what conservationists observe on the ground. The goal: to test whether changes in vegetation, moisture, or biomass detected from space can serve as reliable indicators of biodiversity recovery.

Seeing Change from Above

At small wetland sites near Dartmoor National Park, Harold and maps interventions such as scrapes and ponds — then analyses whether these features show up in satellite imagery. When conditions are right, time-series analysis can reveal subtle seasonal shifts that reflect vegetation growth and habitat health.

Yet, as Harold notes, not all sites are easy to see:

“Dense vegetation or small restoration areas can push the limits of what satellite data can capture. But by combining field data and EO imagery, we can start to calibrate meaningful indicators for biodiversity uplift.”

This combination of muddy boots and clean data is where BIO-CAPITAL’s innovation lies: turning local restoration work into quantifiable, verifiable change.

Duchy College: A Living Laboratory

A key stakeholder in this effort is Duchy College, an agricultural and environmental training campus in Stoke Climsland, Cornwall.
The college manages extensive wetland areas and has become a valuable test site for scaling up the project’s methods.

Here, landscape architect Gemma shows how engineered ponds and bunds are helping to retain water and create habitats for freshwater species.

“Standing water is incredibly important for biodiversity,” she says. “We now have ponds that stay full most of the year — providing habitats for invertebrates, birds, and other wildlife.”

For Harold, these landscapes are also a perfect testing ground: their complex patchwork of fields, hedgerows, and wetlands mirrors the diversity of rural England, helping to refine EO-based monitoring approaches under real-world conditions.

Towards a New Kind of Capital

For Lawrence, Chief Executive of WRT, the value of this work extends beyond ecology:

“The BIO-CAPITAL project allows us to understand not only the benefits of protecting rivers and giving them space for nature, but also how to market that — for example, through biodiversity net gain schemes.”

By connecting field restoration, remote sensing, and natural capital accounting, BIO-CAPITAL seeks to create a framework where biodiversity gains can become recognised and tradable assets.

It’s a bold vision: that the recovery of ecosystems — once seen as priceless but immeasurable — can now be made both visible and valuable.

At the BIO-CAPITAL General Assembly held from 31 March to 2 April 2025 in Prague, consortium partners had the opportunity to engage with inspiring external initiatives that share BIO-CAPITAL’s vision of leveraging space technologies for environmental sustainability. One of the highlights was the presentation of the Horizon Europe COMUNIDAD Project, delivered by its WP6 Lead, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hynek Roubík.

From a BIO-CAPITAL perspective, the session demonstrated how complementary European research initiatives can reinforce one another — particularly when they address the intersection of Earth Observation, biodiversity protection, and sustainable finance across different geographical contexts.

Space Data as a Catalyst for Biodiversity and Sustainable Development

COMUNIDAD (Combined Use of EGNSS and Copernicus Data to Develop Innovative Downstream Services for Users from Chile and Colombia) focuses on adapting European space technologies to the needs of local stakeholders in Latin America. Its approach strongly resonates with BIO-CAPITAL’s core philosophy: technological innovation is most impactful when co-developed with end users and embedded in real-world decision-making contexts.

The project presented two major application domains:

• Sustainable forestry management in Chile, where satellite data supports biodiversity monitoring and resource management.
• Rural development and land-use planning in Colombia, where Copernicus-based tools help guide agricultural decisions and climate resilience strategies.

For BIO-CAPITAL partners, these examples provided valuable insights into how Earth Observation services can be tailored to regional socio-ecological systems while maintaining scientific robustness and operational relevance.

Shared Vision: Biodiversity Intelligence for Investment and Impact

BIO-CAPITAL aims to unlock biodiversity-positive investments by integrating advanced space-based monitoring with innovative financial mechanisms. A key challenge addressed by the project is the lack of reliable, scalable data that investors and policymakers can use to assess biodiversity outcomes and environmental risks.

The discussion with COMUNIDAD highlighted several areas of strategic alignment:

• Use of Copernicus and EGNSS data to generate reliable environmental indicators.
• Participatory co-design approaches that ensure local relevance and stakeholder ownership.
• Bridging science, technology, and finance to create measurable sustainability outcomes.
• Scalability across regions, from European pilots to global applications.

BIO-CAPITAL’s implementation framework — moving from learning and experimentation to demonstration and large-scale deployment — complements COMUNIDAD’s user-driven service development model. Together, the projects illustrate how space technologies can support both ecological monitoring and financial decision-making.

Opportunities for Collaboration

The General Assembly discussion opened the door to potential cooperation pathways between the two projects. From BIO-CAPITAL’s standpoint, the collaboration could contribute to:

• Cross-regional exchange of methodologies and stakeholder engagement practices.
• Joint development of biodiversity indicators derived from Earth Observation data.
• Shared learning on how geospatial intelligence can strengthen environmental investment frameworks.
• Exploration of future pilot opportunities that connect biodiversity monitoring with finance mechanisms beyond Europe.

Such collaboration aligns closely with BIO-CAPITAL’s mission to build interoperable solutions that can operate across policy domains, sectors, and geographic contexts.

Toward a Global Ecosystem for Space-Based Biodiversity Finance

The exchange with COMUNIDAD reinforced an important insight: the transition toward biodiversity-positive economies requires not only technological innovation but also international cooperation and knowledge sharing.

By connecting European space capabilities with local sustainability challenges in Latin America, COMUNIDAD demonstrates how Earth Observation can generate tangible societal value. For BIO-CAPITAL, this collaboration represents an opportunity to extend its vision of biodiversity-sensitive finance into a broader global context.

As highlighted during the session, space-based data achieves its greatest impact when anchored in local knowledge, stakeholder needs, and institutional capacity — a principle that lies at the heart of both projects.

The BIO-CAPITAL consortium looks forward to further dialogue and potential joint initiatives with COMUNIDAD, strengthening the global community working at the intersection of biodiversity, finance, and space technology.