Innovating for nature

This is a snapshot of our latest Future Now report, which dives into all things nature tech and biodiversity. Future Now is our monthly member-only report, where we take a deeper look at a pressing theme that month, focusing on 10 positive-impact innovations transforming the sector.

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The other cop

Those not attuned to the world of environmental diplomacy can be forgiven for a certain confusion, not to mention fatigue, at the use of acronyms. And this is especially true when two different processes are commonly known by the same acronym. Monday 21st October saw the launch of COP16 in Cali, Colombia. This COP is the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, and is focused on efforts to tackle the global biodiversity crisis. It is separate from the Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC, which is focused on climate change and will this year be undergoing its 29th iteration (COP29) in Azerbaijan.

Taking stock of action on nature

Colombia ranks?first globally ?for bird and orchid species diversity, and second for amphibians, freshwater fishes, butterflies, and plants. It is therefore a fitting setting for diplomatic talks on how to arrest the alarming loss of biodiversity the world has experienced in recent decades.

COP16 is the first gathering of its type since the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) at COP15 in 2022. Under this framework, countries agreed a range of ambitions, including reserving 30 per cent of land, water, and seas for nature by 2030. Ahead of this year’s summit, countries were supposed to deliver detailed plans for achieving these – although many have failed to meet this deadline.

Biopiracy, funding, and indigenous involvement

In addition to this stock-taking exercise, several other items will be on the agenda in Cali. The genetic codes of the world’s organisms are an incredibly valuable commodity for those developing everything from cosmetics to medicines. And with the extraordinary statistical power of AI, the hunger for genetic information is only going to grow. But who will benefit? Many in developing countries fear that companies from the developed world will plunder their natural ecosystems to create lucrative products, giving local people little in return – a phenomenon known as ‘biopiracy.’ COP16 will see efforts to work out an agreed mechanism for paying for access to digitalised genetic data.

Another agenda item will be funding. A key question when it comes to biodiversity protection and restoration is a simple one: who pays? Many developing countries argue they need support to meet their targets, and, at COP15, governments agreed to pay up to the tune of at least $30 billion per year by 2030. However, access to finance is likely to remain a tense talking point at this year’s summit.

Finally, the involvement of indigenous peoples in biodiversity protection will be a further consideration, with host country Colombia pushing particularly hard for the involvement of indigenous communities.

Innovation’s role in protecting nature

COPs are, by definition, high level and couched in the language of policy and diplomacy. However, innovators around the world are playing essential roles in preserving biodiversity on the ground, far away from conference halls. At Springwise, we see three emerging trends for nature tech: monitoring and reporting, funding, and restoration. And the innovations we see in these areas bring the themes being discussed at COP16 to life in a tangible way.

Monitoring and reporting | Analysing eDNA in soil

Soil microbes are fundamental to maintaining healthy ecosystems, but changing weather patterns are causing changes in the diversity of the microbiome, threatening global systems. German startup Soilytix monitors and analyses soil biodiversity, including levels of bacteria, fungi, and microfauna.

It then helps companies use this data to maximise crop yields and measure carbon removal potentials. For example, the company is working with supermarkets to enable them to accurately monitor the impact of regenerative practices used by farms within their supply chain.

An AI-assisted soil sampling app allows clients to collect soil samples and send them to Soilytix’s lab for analysis. The company extracts the DNA of microorganisms in the sample and conducts DNA sequencing to identify and quantify any bacteria, fungi, and microfauna.?Read more

Funding | Providing indigenous communities with funding for forest stewardship

ONE TRIBE puts indigenous people back in the driving seat of rainforest protection by providing native communities and smallholders with funding for their stewardship and protection of forests through nature-based offsets and removal.

The company specialises in connecting forestry protection projects, indigenous tribal land, and rainforest organisations directly to global payment systems. This enables businesses to provide a portion of every sale or transaction to global carbon sequestration projects. After a purchase is made on a One Tribe partner store, the company makes a donation to its connected rainforest protection charities on the buyer’s behalf.?Read more

Restoration | Self-drilling wooden seed carriers

Researchers led by Professor Lining Yao at the Morphing Matter Lab in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at 美国卡内基梅隆大学 have created a bioengineered seed carrier called an E-seed that pushes seeds and fertiliser deep into the ground.

Activated by water, the carriers are made from veneers of white oak. The wood is washed in sodium sulphite and sodium hydroxide for strength and durability, and then mechanically moulded into a twisted shape with three tails at one end. After loading the materials to be planted into the carrier, the tip is coated and flocked.

When activated by water, the wood expands and untwists, driving the seed tip down. The carriers are delivered by drones and have the potential to reforest large geographic and inhospitable regions, or to restore wetlands that are difficult for humans to traverse.?Read more

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