A New Era for Nature Collaboration: NatureMetrics Wins the 2024 Earthshot Prize in Protect & Restore Nature Category

In an incredible moment of celebration and collective hope, we’re thrilled to announce that NatureMetrics has been named as a 2024 Earthshot Prize Winner in the Protect & Restore Nature category.

Surrounded by esteemed conservationists, global innovators, and community champions, we joined Prince William in Cape Town for a truly transformative week of events celebrating the finalists and winners driving solutions for a sustainable future.

The Earthshot Prize was established to inspire and scale innovations capable of tackling the greatest environmental challenges of our time. Each year, five winning solutions are chosen, with each winner awarded £1 million to advance their work. This year’s finalists in our category included the remarkable Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative and Amazon Sacred Headwaters Alliance. We are deeply honoured to stand beside these trailblazing initiatives, each pioneering essential work in biodiversity protection and ecosystem restoration.

Winning the Earthshot Prize is an immense honour, and we are profoundly humbled to be recognized alongside such a diverse array of solutions. This recognition is not only for NatureMetrics but also for every partner, conservation team, indigenous community, and local expert who has been part of our journey. It’s their dedication and commitment to biodiversity protection that drive the impact of our eDNA technology, transforming data into actionable insights that inspire change where it matters most.

As Dimple Patel, our CEO, shared, “We cannot afford for nature to be overlooked. Without healthy ecosystems, our societies and economies will fail. Nature data is the common language that brings together governments, local communities, and corporations to create positive change. We are deeply grateful that The Earthshot Prize has recognized our role in helping to accelerate this shift at such a pivotal moment for our planet.”

The Earthshot Prize: Supporting Solutions for a Planetary Future

The Earthshot Prize was created with a vision to repair and regenerate our planet within the next decade. It does this by spotlighting and investing in solutions with the potential to create meaningful change. From over 1,000 global nominations each year, an Expert Advisory Panel carefully selects a shortlist, which then advances to a prestigious judging process by the Earthshot Prize Council. The five winners are awarded funding and support, empowering them to expand their impact and advance solutions to some of the planet’s most pressing issues.

This year’s award ceremony in Cape Town marked the centerpiece of Earthshot Week, a five-day series of events showcasing bold environmental solutions, groundbreaking research, and unprecedented partnerships. The week concluded with an inspiring awards night, spotlighting the vital work of this year’s finalists and winners.

What Winning Means for NatureMetrics

Receiving this recognition from the Earthshot Prize means more than a celebration of achievement—it’s a call to action. We are energized to work even harder with our partners and communities, leveraging eDNA technology to monitor, protect, and restore biodiversity on a global scale.

Dr. Kat Bruce, our founder, expressed the significance of this moment: “It’s time the world charts a different path in humanity’s relationship with the natural world. Nature is our life support system. Without it, we cannot feed the world, regulate our climate, and will rapidly face the collapse of the global economy. We’re honoured to be part of such an incredible diversity of solutions recognized by The Earthshot Prize, pushing boundaries and redefining what’s possible.”

Empowering Communities Through eDNA Technology

At NatureMetrics, we are revolutionizing biodiversity monitoring with environmental DNA. This technology allows us to measure and understand biodiversity through DNA traces left by organisms in water, soil, and air. With simple sampling kits, anyone—from local communities to conservation experts—can collect samples and contribute to a shared understanding of ecosystem health. Our mission is to empower every conservation group, corporate entity, and policy leader to make informed decisions grounded in robust biodiversity data.

Since our founding, we’ve undertaken 1,500 projects across 110 countries, providing essential biodiversity insights to diverse stakeholders, including conservation groups, businesses, and governments. To date, we’ve mapped 9% of the Earth’s surface using eDNA, establishing critical biodiversity baselines and tracked over 300 threatened species. Through this work, we’re creating a world where data-driven insights translate into actionable, meaningful impact.

Honouring the Real Heroes on the Ground

This achievement is truly shared with all our partners, clients, and communities who are committed to protecting biodiversity. It’s their work on the ground that makes our data powerful, and we’re deeply grateful to be part of their journey. Their expertise, dedication, and local knowledge bring depth and significance to our technology, turning data into a tool for real-world transformation.

As Dimple Patel noted, “The technology now exists to understand nature at scale and make informed decisions for a sustainable future. But the data alone is meaningless unless it drives action. We are here to support these groups with the tools they need to turn the tide on biodiversity loss.”

A Shared Vision for the Future

Winning the Earthshot Prize is a testament to our belief in the power of collaborative, data-driven action for a sustainable future. We’re excited to work alongside our fellow Earthshot Prize winners and finalists, combining our technological capabilities with their deep, on-the-ground expertise. Together, we are part of a global movement working to regenerate the planet we all call home.

The journey ahead is filled with urgency, hope, and a renewed sense of purpose. With the support of The Earthshot Prize community, we are ready to scale our impact, equipping more people worldwide to make informed decisions that protect our planet’s natural ecosystems.

As Dr Kat Bruce states: “The urgency to act at scale has never been clearer”.