The Airbus Foundation and the Connected Conservation Foundation (CCF) recently announced the winners of their “Satellites for Biodiversity” grant, which now uses higher-resolution satellite imagery to aid conservation efforts. They also launched an Ecosystem Insight Hub, which comprehensively documents the processes and findings of their grantees.
The latest batch of six “Satellites for Biodiversity” awardees are granted access to Airbus’s Pléiades Neo and Pléiades satellite imagery at very high resolutions of 15, 30 and 50 centimeters (6, 12 and 20 inches). This time around, Airbus has developed AI and machine learning algorithms that can help enhance images taken with the base 30-cm resolution to be “sharper, more detailed,” Sophie Maxwell, CCF executive director, told Mongabay by email.
Maxwell called the upgrade “an exciting development … effectively increasing the pixel count and improving image clarity.” She added this would allow “field teams to extract finer insights than ever before.”
Similar to previous awardees, the projects will be integrating the satellite imagery with AI, machine-learning models and community-led conservation.
Previously, only species-level monitoring proposals were accepted, but the new round of awardees were also allowed to explore “ecosystem-scale conservation.”
“This shift recognises the interconnected nature of biodiversity, people and climate. By expanding the use of cutting-edge tools to assess entire ecosystems, we can better understand complex ecological dynamics and support more holistic, effective conservation strategies that benefit all inhabitants,” Maxwell said.
This year’s six winning projects are:
- Mapping seagrass meadows in the Andaman coast in Thailand to monitor the habitats of dugongs (Dugong dugon);
- Monitoring southern royal albatross (Diomedea epomophora) nesting sites in New Zealand;
- Developing predictive models for data-informed antipoaching strategies in Uganda’s largest national park, Murchison Falls;
- Identifying and safeguarding critical habitats of endangered crocodilians and river turtles in the Gangetic Basin in India;
- Pioneering an early-warning system to detect infestations of bark beetles among giant sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum);
- Mitigating the disruption of chimpanzee habitats due to infrastructure projects in Guinea.
Maxwell said the projects for royal albatross, giant sequoias and crocodilians were only made possible because of the new very high-resolution satellite imagery, which is part of the reason they were chosen, in addition to a strong community engagement element.
“These projects focus on critical ecosystems and habitats that play a vital role in supporting endangered species, preserving indigenous cultures and livelihoods, and addressing climate resilience,” Maxwell said.
She said the Ecosystem Insight Hub is the first time that CCF is sharing the results of their grantees as round 1 projects are completed or nearing completion.
“By documenting the full story — methodologies, model performance, and field data collection techniques — teams can learn from each other,” Maxwell said.
Banner image:The Madikwe Game Reserve in South Africa captured by the Pléiades Neo satellite. Image courtesy of the Airbus Foundation and Connected Conservation Foundation.
