Unlocking Space for Business: Space Intelligence selected by UK Space Agency for nature investment R&D
Space Intelligence has been awarded an SBRI contract by the UK Space Agency for a feasibility study to support the use of satellite data by financial institutions for nature investment.
The data is undeniable: we cannot meet Paris targets without Nature. Stopping deforestation and driving mass restoration has the power to provide 30% of the global mitigation needs for 2030 and 2050 climate goals (IUCN, 2021).
Though banks, large corporations, and asset managers have already allocated billions of dollars for nature investment, in practice nature is still an emerging asset class and is poorly funded against the levels required to make these mitigation goals a reality.
We must increase investment, significantly and quickly, if we are to meet a 1.5c warming target and prevent the extinction of an estimated million species at risk.
Solving The Nature Financing Gap
There are a number of factors hindering the acceleration of investment in nature-based solutions, particularly in tropical developing countries where the opportunity to create carbon sinks is the largest but where regulatory regimes, infrastructure, and expertise are limited.
There is then the fundamental issue of measuring the impact a dollar of investment has produced, to bring greater trust and integrity to the market.
Space Intelligence is at the forefront of nature mapping data production. The nature tech company operates at the intersection of AI, satellite data analytics, and ecology to provide the highest quality maps and analysis across the world. We count some of the world’s largest companies as our clients, supporting them to invest in nature with confidence.
So when the UK Space Agency launched an initiative – Unlocking Space for Business – to support further research & development into how terrestrial and satellite data can be leveraged to unlock new opportunities for businesses, including for financial services, we immediately saw the impact to be made.
We’re pleased to announce that we have been awarded a contract by the UK Space Agency to undertake a feasibility study project, with our focus on supporting a wave of new investment in nature. Read more about the initiative here.
How Can You Support Nature Investment?
Our goal of this initiative is to produce the data and system connectivity that financial institutions require to assess, monitor, report, and facilitate investing in nature as an asset class. As a first step, we’ll be engaging with banks and asset managers to understand their due diligence, risk management, and transaction processes in depth, identifying the gaps that hinder investment in nature assets.
If you want to help shape these industry solutions, get in touch with us and learn about how you can contribute feedback.
