National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis

Digital Assets for Biodiversity Monitoring

Unlocking the Power of Technology for Biodiversity

Automated and semi-automated technologies have the potential to revolutionize how we monitor biodiversity. From camera traps and acoustic sensors to satellite imagery and eDNA, these tools can detect and identify species, track populations, and measure ecosystem health faster and more accurately than ever before.

However, most current systems are limited — they often cannot identify organisms to the species level and tend to focus on only a few well-studied taxonomic groups. To close these gaps, we need digital assets: monitoring products created using automated technologies that provide consistent, high-quality, and scalable data across diverse species and ecosystems.

NCEAS is leading efforts to accelerate the development and use of digital assets to transform biodiversity monitoring and reporting, making it easier for decision-makers to act quickly to protect nature.

Our Four-Part Approach

1. Global Inventory and Synthesis

We conducted the first comprehensive inventory of digital assets for biodiversity monitoring, reviewing 12 major technology groups across terrestrial, freshwater, and marine ecosystems. This synthesis provides a roadmap for how specific technologies can be advanced to fill gaps in our current monitoring capabilities and support faster, more reliable biodiversity assessments.
Read the paper → King et al. 2025. Implementation of automated biodiversity monitoring lags behind its potential.

 

Digital Assets
Figure from our paper, King et al. 2025: A framework laying out the process of digital asset creation to define and address bottlenecks in their production. The framework divides creation of digital assets into four distinct steps or Investment Areas (gray boxes), and each area has potential Methods (yellow boxes) for addressing a bottleneck in the creation of digital assets at that step and some potential Benefits (purple boxes) of investing in that area are listed to highlight the usefulness for different monitoring needs. The benefits shown are not exhaustive but represent relevant gains from investing in improving a particular area.

 

2. Biodiversity Data Science Working Group

This working group brings together experts across disciplines to examine the societal, ethical, and technical dimensions of automated biodiversity monitoring. Current projects include:

  • Human Rights and Biodiversity Monitoring: Exploring how automated technologies intersect with privacy, ethics, and human rights (paper submitted).

  • Current Capabilities of Automated Technology: Assessing the present state of technologies for biodiversity monitoring and identifying opportunities to accelerate progress (manuscript in preparation).

Learn more about the working group >

3. Workshop: Building the Future of Digital Assets

We are convening cross-sector leaders from academia, conservation organizations, technology companies, and finance to develop strategies for filling critical gaps in digital assets. By breaking down silos and fostering collaboration, this workshop will identify barriers, propose solutions, and build partnerships to:

  • Improve taxonomic coverage across monitoring technologies

  • Develop actionable recommendations for innovation and investment

  • Speed up biodiversity reporting to support frameworks like the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

The resulting report will outline clear steps to operationalize a scalable, semi-automated biodiversity monitoring system.

4. Case Study: Accelerating Biodiversity Reporting

To demonstrate the real-world potential of digital assets, we are developing a case study that shows how these tools can streamline reporting and deliver actionable data to decision-makers more quickly in California. This example will highlight how emerging technologies can help governments, NGOs, and communities respond to biodiversity changes in near real-time.

Why It Matters

The biodiversity crisis demands bold innovation. By advancing digital assets, we can create a faster, more inclusive, and more comprehensive global monitoring system, giving decision-makers the information they need to protect species and ecosystems before it’s too late.