NATURE FIRST: FORENSIC INTELLIGENCE AND REMOTE SENSING TECHNOLOGIES TO PROTECT BIODIVERSITY
Funded by the European Commission, Nature FIRST is developing predictive, proactive and preventative tools for nature conservation, such as ecosystem base maps, monitoring systems, digital twin models and semantic-driven data methods and tools. With the hope of expanding in the future, as of now the tools are being applied in the following European regions: the Carpathian mountains (in Romania and Ukraine), the Danube Delta river (in Romania), the Stara Planina mountains (in Bulgaria) and the Ancaras y O Courel (in Spain).
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.
Featured image: Nature FIRST General Assembly
From Africa to Europe: translating and applying knowledge
The General Assembly event took place in South Africa, where the world's first Wildlife Forensic Academy is based. It was the ideal location for the Nature FIRST project, as it combines forensic intelligence and remote sensing technologies to develop fit-for-purpose tools and information for monitoring biodiversity in Natura 2000 areas.
The experience already gained by the Wildlife Forensic Academy and Wildlife Forensic Fund, (also based in South Africa and also partnered with the Sustainable Scale-Up Foundation) highlighted the importance of mobilising knowledge and equipping rangers, managers, researchers, and first responders with the necessary observational skills to detect threats and prevent wildlife crime, such as illegal logging, pollution, and poaching. Said experience and mobilisation of knowledge can be translated and applied in Europe, where similar issues are prevalent in protected areas.
The Nature FIRST consortium partners underscored the novelty of the knowledge that they gained during the General Assembly workshops.
Featured image: Nature FIRST General Assembly
Semantic web technologies and Earth observation combined for nature conservation
During the General Assembly event, the Semantic Web Company demonstrated knowledge graphs: these graphs, along with the usage of semantic web technologies, can display and visualise links between habitat species or the same habitat in different locations, which allows users to find unexpected commonalities. 3edata, on the other hand, demonstrated the power of Earth Observation (Satellite) imagery for habitat maps; and Wageningen University & Research demonstrated the digital twins’ development plans. In the meantime, the project coordinator Sensing Clues is able to bring all of these resources together on their platform.
Visit the link to see the whole list of Nature FIRST consortium partners.
Revolutionising biodiversity monitoring and nature conservation
If you are enthusiastic about nature conservation and interested in the most recent innovations and technologies being utilised to safeguard our planet’s biodiversity, don’t miss the chance to watch the video from Nature FIRST’s General Assembly event.
The video gives an overview of what the project has achieved so far, it showcases the stunning landscapes that are being protected, and emphasises the cutting-edge methods and tools being developed to monitor and halt biodiversity decline. By watching the video, you can find out more about the project’s goals and future plans. It will surely inspire you to take action and support local conservation initiatives.
*This article is based on Groundstation.Space’s coverage of Nature FIRST’s General Assembly Event, by Kacia Rutkoŭskaja.
