NatureMetrics introduces geospatial tool for rapid habitat assessment

Global nature intelligence company NatureMetrics has announced the launch of Habitat Insights, a powerful new geospatial tool designed to provide businesses and organizations with a rapid assessment of terrestrial habitats across their portfolio. This tool supports informed land management decisions and meets biodiversity reporting requirements.

As nature and climate-related risks are becoming increasingly central to business and investment decision-making, the demand for innovative tools to manage these challenges continues to grow. Habitat Insights offers an accessible solution for early-stage assessments of large terrestrial areas, eliminating the need for on-the-ground monitoring. By equipping organizations with critical habitat data, it facilitates effective management actions and strategic planning.

Analysing hard-to-reach sites

With Habitat Insights, users can swiftly analyse complex, hard-to-reach terrestrial sites and track environmental changes over time. The tool helps organizations evaluate the impact of industrial activities, monitor mitigation efforts and identify new areas for sustainable use, such as carbon projects or biodiversity net gain (BNG) sites. It also aids in pinpointing potential biodiversity hotspots for further investigation using eDNA and standardizes habitat assessments across multiple locations. Users can explore projects and metrics through an interactive interface within the NatureMetrics Intelligence Platform.

Backed by over a decade of ecological expertise and science-based methodologies, Habitat Insights marks a significant expansion of NatureMetrics' offerings. It is particularly beneficial for customers seeking a quick and reliable habitat assessment before committing to detailed, on-the-ground studies. The integration of Habitat Insights into the NatureMetrics Intelligence Platform enables users to access both geospatial habitat insights and eDNA species insights within a single biodiversity monitoring solution, addressing nature risk and impact reporting needs.

Standardized metrics

Powered by advanced geospatial analytics, the tool provides businesses, conservationists and land managers with a precise and efficient way to assess and track habitat conditions. Traditional large-scale habitat monitoring can be complex, costly and time-consuming, but Habitat Insights simplifies the process by delivering key habitat metrics that support better decision-making, regulatory compliance and biodiversity stewardship.

Habitat Insights incorporates three standardized metrics to track habitat health. The Land Cover metric analyses different land cover types over time to monitor landscape changes. Habitat Connectivity assesses site resilience by measuring how well habitats are connected, while Vegetation Health offers insights into the density and condition of vegetation through advanced analysis techniques.

As global nature reporting regulations increasingly require both habitat and species data, this new tool – combined with NatureMetrics’ eDNA solution – provides a comprehensive package to support major reporting frameworks, including Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI).

Combining remote sensing and eDNA technology

Dimple Patel, CEO of NatureMetrics, emphasizes the growing awareness of nature-related risks, stating: “The realities of nature-related risks and dependencies are becoming ever more apparent across business operations. We’re excited to be expanding our capabilities to provide tools for customers right across their biodiversity journey. Whether you’re looking for a quick assessment of new project sites or interested in mapping habitats alongside species data, we can now offer a fully comprehensive solution, underpinned by the ecological integrity for which NatureMetrics is renowned.

“By combining remote sensing with our industry-leading eDNA technology, we’re giving businesses and conservationists the tools they need to make smarter, faster decisions about nature. We’re enabling organizations to move beyond fragmented data to a truly connected nature intelligence approach.”

Pippa Howard, serving as chief nature strategist at NatureMetrics, highlights the global momentum for biodiversity conservation, adding: “Landmark progress recently agreed at the resumed COP16 talks demonstrates that, despite ongoing geopolitical challenges, momentum to reverse biodiversity loss continues at pace and organizations cannot afford to be left behind. Our new Habitat Insights product is an essential tool to support comprehensive biodiversity data and monitoring used to drive management action and financial flows to deliver nature positive.”

The launch of Habitat Insights follows NatureMetrics’ recent US$25 million Series B funding announcement in January. With the World Economic Forum ranking biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse as the second most significant global risk over the next decade, this funding milestone underscores the urgent need for transformative solutions. As businesses and policymakers work to mitigate biodiversity loss, this investment positions NatureMetrics at the forefront of actionable nature intelligence, supporting both regulated industries and the growing biodiversity reporting and compliance market in response to emerging regulations.