EU-backed researchers are using satellite and citizen-science data to create scalable biodiversity indicators that can support earlier and better planning decisions.
EU-backed researchers are developing AI-supported maps that could help biodiversity protection happen earlier in planning. The approach uses satellite information and citizen-science data to create indicators that can be compared across places and sectors.
That is useful because many decisions affecting nature are made before a person with binoculars ever walks the site. Roads, buildings, energy projects and land management choices all need better early warnings about what lives where and what might be at risk.
AI does not replace ecologists, but it can help them look at larger areas and decide where detailed field surveys are most needed. Used carefully, it becomes a sorting and warning tool rather than a magic answer.
The good news is that biodiversity is becoming more visible in the planning process. When nature can be mapped and compared earlier, fewer decisions have to be made blind.
Source: CORDIS / European Commission