#33 - Nature Tech: the maps to navigate the 1000+ start-ups

This thirty third issue of The Nature Intelligence Newsletter reveals and comments the 4 top maps of the Nature Tech ecosystem. It covers:

• Typology of Nature Tech sectors

• 3 leading maps and databases of Nature Tech start-ups (description, areas of focus, geography, latest funding...)

Nature Tech is usually defined as:

"any technology that enables, accelerates, and scales the nature positive transition".

A typology of Nature Tech sectors

The Nature Tech Collective has developed a typology of sectors as part of its overall mission of accelerating the adoption of nature tech.

This "5M" framework is built as a rigorous & machine-readable classification system of what the nature tech solutions do:

• Measurement

• Modelling

• Material Change

• Market Pressures

• Monetisation

The post below shows an earlier version of the typology (missing the Material Change at the time) and the associated map of companies. I have not seen more recent posts with the full report attached. You can find the latest version of the report and map here.

The key lessons drawn from this exercise by the Nature Tech Collective :

"🔍 Tech gaps:  200+ orgs focus on monitoring, but data integration & interpretation lag - limiting real-world impact.

🧬🛰️ Despite impressive advancements in technologies like eDNA, bioacoustics, and remote sensing, practitioners face barriers to harnessing them fully, such as data interpretation, cost and implementation

🌍 Biodiversity records are unevenly distributed across species (taxonomic bias) and locations (geographic bias), creating blind spots in conservation decision-making

🎯 Target-setting challenges:  A lack of standardized guidance and diverse stakeholder needs make it harder for organizations to translate biodiversity data into actionable insights for different groups.

🤝 Democratization more a promise than reality? AI, camera traps & citizen science remain costly & complex."

The "lack of standardized guidance" resonates with the aims of the Ecosystem Condition Protocol.

Three maps of the entities involved in Nature Tech

Handprint's November 2023 map - not recently updated but insightful

This is among one of the first maps of Nature Tech I've seen and though it apparently stopped at version 4 in November 2023, it remains one of the best. Its visualisation is very clear and its categories more detailed than the other maps.

Due to a technical limitation of LinkedIn which does not allow integration of posts with multiple pictures, I'm rewriting here content from this original post from Mathias Boissonot.

"🤯 Our 'Nature Tech' map just reached 2,000,000 views

You can download the PDF, in high resolution, with the definitions, and the complete list of stakeholders here:

🔗 https://lnkd.in/gf4927jW

In a few weeks, we will be digitizing it into a web-based interactive map, fostering a broader digital collaboration, with a transparent governance system.

Like and comment below to help this post reach wider audiences and give us strength 💚

---

Why "Nature Tech"?

Nature Tech transcends traditional carbon-centric ideologies, adopting a more holistic approach to address overlooked threats to the planet.

This evolution shifts the focus from financial capital to Natural Capital, aiming to leverage the world’s ecosystem services more sustainably.

The current landscape presents an opportunity for collaboration, paving the way for the transformation of our extractive economy into a regenerative force aligned with Nature’s needs."

CDC Biodiversité and Motherbase's NatureTech Observatory of start-ups

The platform lists 900+ start-ups and has more or less the same information as the database by The NatureTech Memos (see next section), but it also plans to provide regular market analyses.

The actual database can be browsed on their website.

The NatureTech Memos' database of start-ups

And finally one mapping I briefly contributed to, the excellent NatureTech Market Map!

The post below is not the latest, the database has been further expanded (and a visualisation is also available) and can be found there.

The Biodiversity Footprint Intelligence Company (BioInt) is listed as an Enabler.

If you would like to understand the pros and cons of the different technologies listed in the "Measure" part, have a look at this table comparing accuracy, costs, scalability, etc.

Disclaimer: all views are mine and do not represent any institution or initiative's.

Access previous issues of the Nature Intelligence Newsletter:

Case studies and examples

#01 - Impacts on ecosystem integrity of a listed equity index assessed for the first time - STOXX600

#08 - Getting inspired: 3 front-runners who assessed their biodiversity impacts at the corporate level

#09 - Ecosystem condition: direct measurement and assessment of regulatory offsets

Ecosystem condition definition and metrics

#02 - All you ever wanted to know about the MSA

#03 - Ecosystem condition: the indicator to watch for corporate biodiversity performance

Biodiversity measurement tools

#04 – Differences between the corporate biodiversity metrics

#05 - Charting path: navigating the biodiversity tool wilderness - part 1 - The compasses

#06 - Charting path: navigating the biodiversity tool wilderness - part 2 - The map

#07 - Charting path: navigating the biodiversity tool wilderness - part 3 - Tools for financial institutions

Biodiversity-Related Financial Risks

#32 - Biodiversity-related financial risks: the tsunami hidden by the climate risks

Biodiversity credits

#10 - Biodiversity credits: definition and main actors

#11 - Biodiversity credits: uncovering the use cases

#12 - Biodiversity credits: deep-dive on use cases, demand and market size

#13 - Biodiversity credits: counterbalancing impacts with clear ecological equivalency rules

#15 - Biodiversity credits: lessons & key differences of 4 leading schemes

#16 - Biodiversity credits: 4 issues you need to know about

#17 - Biodiversity credits trends: market & price

#20 - Biodiversity credits: the cooking analogy - understanding indicators

#23 - Biodiversity credits - the ingredients - main indicators used by BC schemes?

#24 - Biodiversity credits - insights from a deep-dive on the recipe of 13 leading schemes

Align

#14 - Align - Best practices for biodiversity measurement & compliance of existing tools

The Ecosystem Condition Protocol (EC Protocol)

#18 - The Ecosystem Condition Protocol: introduction, needs, goals and linkages to other frameworks

#19 - The Ecosystem Condition Protocol: the what and how of this missing piece of the corporate biodiversity puzzle

COP16

#21 - COP16 - intro, disappointments and hopes

#22 - COP16 - progress on metrics, biodiversity credits, IP, DSI; failure on financing & monitoring

Thought leadership: Translating Biodiversity Goals into Action: A Global Budget Approach (2024)

#25 - Building biodiversity trajectories similar to climate: from global to companies

#27 - Building biodiversity trajectories similar to climate (part 2): global budget & trajectory and country ranking

General biodiversity knowledge

#26 - Key concepts you should be aware of - part 1

#28 - From knowledge to action (part 1): science illuminates the path forward for biodiversity

#29 - AI & biodiversity: distinguishing real from false opportunities

#30 - The emerging trends to watch: NbS, RegAg, AI, reporting regulations

#31 - The EU Omnibus Package - What it means for business & biodiversity