NEWS & BLOG
NATURE FIRST WORKSHOP IN ROMANIA: EXPLORING FORENSIC INTELLIGENCE FOR NATURE CONSERVATION
We are thrilled to share insights from the Nature FIRST Field Site Workshop in Romania, which took place from October 2nd to October 6th, 2023. Hosted in Bucharest and Tulcea, this workshop brought together key stakeholders in the Romanian Environmental, Agriculture, and Fishing sectors to explore and learn more about the innovative Nature FIRST project. Here's a glimpse of the events that unfolded during this informative and impactful week.
DIGITAL TWINS FOR ECOLOGY AND NATURE CONSERVATION: AN INTERVIEW WITH ANNA DAVISON
The Nature FIRST project makes use of digital twins to create model-driven, continuous ecosystem monitoring beyond simple species counts. These digital twins serve as a means for learning, improving monitoring models, and translating environmental observations into actionable information for site managers and policymakers. But what are some common misconceptions around the concept of a digital twin? What are some challenges they face, and how can they assist decision-makers in safeguarding our natural ecosystems? And what is their role in the Nature FIRST project? Join us for an interview with Anna Davison, a PhD Candidate at Wageningen University & Research, as she answers these questions and more.
ECOSYSTEM BASEMAPS AND HOW THEY HELP NATURE CONSERVATION
Humanity has been collecting terabytes of environmental data. However, without effective applications, their value for protected area managers remains limited. With this in mind, the Nature FIRST project is developing tools that allow one to access available environmental data, analyse and present it in an integrated and user-friendly way. This blog post delves into one of these tools: auto-generated ecosystem basemaps. Join us as we explore their main characteristics, applications and how basemaps can be useful for managers of protected nature sites, like the ones in the Natura 2000 network.
UNVEILING THE ISSUE OF BEAR POACHING IN BULGARIA: AN INTERVIEW WITH VLADIMIR TODOROV
It is estimated that hundreds of bears are poached every year all over Europe. Reasons for it vary, including human-wildlife conflicts and trophy poaching. Such cases also happen in Stara Planina mountain, one of the field sites of the Nature FIRST project. Join us for an interview with Vladimir Todorov, Assistant at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, a consortium member of Nature FIRST, to learn more about the current state of bear poaching in Bulgaria and the measures taken to stop it.
NATURE FIRST: DEMO OF SOLUTIONS FOR BIODIVERSITY MONITORING
On April 26th, Nature FIRST had the opportunity to showcase achievements, solutions and technologies that focus on biodiversity preservation. We covered various topics such as taxonomy crossovers, ecosystem base maps, the 3edata Habitat Mapping method, TrapTagger for Species Recognition, and the Nature FIRST Knowledge Graph. If you weren’t able to tune in for the demo, or need a quick refresher, join us as we do an overview of what was discussed.
NATURE FIRST PUBLICATION - PAPER ON DIGITAL TWINS
We are proud to announce that the first Nature FIRST paper has been published. "Digital twins: dynamic model-data fusion for ecology", is a paper written by Dr. Koen de Koning and his team at Wageningen University & Research.
THE NATURE FIRST PODCAST
We are thrilled to announce that we are launching the Nature FIRST Podcast. We will be interviewing experts in ecology sciences, forensics and environmental monitoring, to learn insights about state-of-the-art methods and tech solutions for nature conservation.
Tune in to listen to Rita Prota and Claire Gwinnett discuss wildlife forensics in the first episode.
HABITAT MAPPING FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION: AN INTERVIEW WITH BORIS HINOJO FROM 3EDATA
Nature FIRST utilises predictive and preventive capabilities to halt biodiversity decline. These capabilities rely on a data-driven strategy that is made possible by network partners such as 3edata – who collect and analyse data through habitat mapping.
NATURE FIRST: FORENSIC INTELLIGENCE AND REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGIES TO PROTECT BIODIVERSITY
In February, six months after the project kicked off, the Nature FIRST consortium held its first General Assembly event in South Africa, to discuss current achievements, the present and the future of the project.
HOW CAN DATA AND TECH HELP NATURE CONSERVATION?
With 12 Consortium Members, the Nature FIRST project operates under coordination of Sensing Clues – a non-profit organisation with impressive experience in developing solutions for monitoring various species and implements it within Nature FIRST. This post will explore why Nature FIRST is needed now, how the experience of Sensing Clues helps the project, and what the main challenges are which the team should tackle.
THE IMPACT OF THE WAR IN UKRAINE ON BIODIVERSITY AND NATURE CONSERVATION
War affects the natural world in ways that can often be overlooked. From ancient times to the present day, wars have always had a profound impact on the environment, causing long-lasting and far-reaching damage to ecosystems, wildlife, and natural resources. This takes place in the form of fires, deforestation, pollution, planted landmines and the abandonment of sites that need protection or become dangerous, among others. With modern warfare, the destruction has only become more severe. Join us for a conversation with Ostap Reshetylo, project manager at our network partner’s World Wildlife Fund Ukraine, to learn more about the environmental impact of the war in Ukraine, its current and future implications, and what can be done.
POWER OF DYNAMIC DATA FOR DIGITAL TWINS: AN INTERVIEW WITH KOEN DE KONING
To prevent biodiversity loss, we need information about endangered species: where they live and how they move. In other words, we need data about habitat areas and migration routes. But how can one accurately track wild animals? Join us for a chat with Koen de Koning to find out.
NATURE FIRST: THE PROJECT IS BORN, AN INTERVIEW WITH SONJA VAN MEERBEEK
How was Nature FIRST born? How did it become a Horizon Europe project? What are its goals beyond the current scope? And how can people get involved? Join us for a chat with Sonja van Meerbeek, Managing Director of the Sustainable Scale-Up Foundation and Nature FIRST Executive Board Member, as she answers all of these questions.
PROJECT KICK OFF
In August 2022, along with many of our stakeholders, we celebrated the kick off event for the project Nature FIRST.
NATURE FIRST: THE TRAILER
We are proud to present the trailer for Nature FIRST, a Horizon Europe project funded by the European commission that aims at developing predictive, proactive and preventative tools for nature conservation in Europe and beyond.