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Ecosystem
Condition Index

Every living thing leaves traces of its DNA in the environment. The NatureMetrics lab reads those traces to identify the species present, an unrivalled picture of a site's biodiversity from a single sample.

Water

Soil

Vegetation

Get to know our 3 ECIs

Soil ECI

The only globally applicable soil ecosystem condition index, independently accredited to 95% accuracy by Accounting for Nature®. Measures bacteria, fungi and soil invertebrates against a reference site.

Available now - Global

Freshwater ECI

A single, defensible 0–100 biological condition score for rivers, benchmarked against NatureMetrics' extensive UK freshwater eDNA database and trained against Water Framework Directive classifications.

Available now - Great Britain

Vegetation ECI

Ecosystem condition scoring for terrestrial vegetation and mangrove ecosystems — powered by remote sensing data. No field sampling required. Global applicability from launch.

Coming soon

How it works

From field sample to Portfolio Intelligence

Soil, freshwater and vegetation - each index follows the same five-step architecture.

1

Sample

Collect biological data using NatureMetrics eDNA kits - simply collect soil cores or bankside water.

2

eDNA Analysis

DNA is extracted in the NatureMetrics labs and matched against curated reference databases

3

Score Condition

Biological data scored 0-100 against the appropriate benchmark for that ecosystem

4

Aggregate to
Portfolio

Site scores roll up to a single portfolio ECI - one number for every site and portfolio

5

Report

Aggregated scores and metrics feed natural capital accounts and regulatory disclosures

What you get with the
Ecosystem Condition Suite

Site-level diagnostics

Know exactly which biological community is driving your score, and why. Whether it's fungi lagging in soil, macroinvertebrate diversity declining in a river, or vegetation structure deteriorating on a restoration site.

Portfolio intelligence

See nature performance and risk across all assets in one view. Track whether you're Net Positive or Net Loss. Identify which sites need resources and which are performing.

Financial integration

Feed ECI data into Natural Capital Accounts, rehabilitation provisions, ESG disclosures and risk assessments. Connect ecosystem health to the financial metrics your organisation already runs on.

Defensible, best-in-class science.
Auditable. Enterprise-grade.

Every index in the suite is designed to hold up to the same scrutiny a financial metric would face. Standardised, repeatable methodology. Every score traceable from portfolio metric back to raw eDNA data. Built for the rigour that investors, regulators and auditors demand.

Audit ready

Defensible for Natural Capital Accounts and financial disclosure

Comparable year-on-year

Track progress against nature-positive targets over time

Portfolio-ready

Site scores aggregate to a single portfolio-level index

Stakeholder trust

Data refreshed to align with financial reporting cycles. Scores reflect the most current available geospatial data, not a point-in-time snapshot

How every ECI works

Built for your sector and use case

The Ecosystem Intelligence Suite works across every sector where naturere
presents either an operational dependency, a regulatory obligation or a
material financial risk.

Mining & Extractives

The challenge

TNFD reporting and social licence around water use. Regulatory risk from abstraction and contamination licences. Need to demonstrate No Net Loss from extraction to closure — across soil ecosystems adjacent to operations and river systems downstream.

How the suite helps

  • Pre-disturbance biological baseline for soil and river health - evidence for consenting and NNL commitments
  • Annual ECI tracking qualities impact during active operations, validates rehabilitation trajectory
  • Soil Quality Hectares delta between operational loss and offset gain provides defensible compensation evidence
  • Portfolio Freshwater ECI monitors river condition adjacent to abstraction points and discharge sites.

Soil ECI

Globally applicable

Baseline and track soil condition at mine sites worldwide — from pre-disturbance through active operations to rehabilitation and closure. Prove recovery with an independently accredited metric.

Freshwater ECI

Great Britain rivers

Monitor biological condition of river systems adjacent to extraction sites. WFD-aligned scoring for TNFD reporting and regulatory licence evidence — deployable by operational teams without specialist ecologists.

Agriculture & CPG

The challenge

Investors want proof that regenerative agriculture programmes are delivering returns on resilience - not just carbon credits. SBTN freshwater targets and CSRD supply chain obligations require measurable biological evidence. Carbon metrics are too slow to capture the immediate impact of farming interventions.

How the suite helps

  • Annual Soil ECI tracking proves regenerative plots are improving biological condition faster than carbon can show
  • Compare performance across farms and geographies with a standardised score - identify what's working and replicate it
  • Map supply chain ecosystem risk across soils and river systems in your supply shed
  • Support sustainability-linked loans and green finance with auditable biological MRV

Soil ECI

Regenerative ag outcomes — globally

Prove soil health improvement at scale on a timeframe investors can act on. Annual site-level tracking shows improvement rates that carbon metrics cannot capture at this speed.

Freshwater ECI

Supply shed river health - GB

Baseline and track biological condition of rivers in your supply shed. SBTN freshwater target-setting and CSRD nature disclosure evidence for food and beverage supply chains.

Infrastructure & Transport

The challenge

Consenting and permitting near watercourses and ecologically sensitive land. Demonstrating mitigation hierarchy compliance at every stage - from design through construction to restoration. Regulatory requirements for defensible biological evidence of genuine ecological uplift.

How the suite helps

  • Pre-construction soil and river biological baselines - defensible evidence for consenting and ElA
  • Ongoing condition monitoring proves genuine ecological uplift, not just vegetation cover
  • Offset validation and tracking across the full project lifecycle
  • Faster regulatory approvals and performance bond release with accredited, traceable evidence

Soil ECI

Consenting evidence - globally

The only globally applicable, independently accredited soil condition metric. Defensible for NNL claims, EIA ecological compensation evidence and regulatory approval submissions.

Freshwater ECI

Watercourse monitoring - GB

Biological baseline and ongoing monitoring for schemes near rivers. AMP8 and WFD-aligned scoring that demonstrates genuine ecological recovery to planning authorities and regulators.

Conservation

The challenge

Different monitoring approaches across sites make it impossible to compare performance and allocate budgets fairly. Funders demand proof that restoration investments are delivering measurable biodiversity outcomes - not just tree counts or vegetation cover reports.

How the suite helps

  • Standardised ECI scores across all sites reveal true performance range - identify underperforming sites and reallocate budget with confidence
  • Annual tracking validates restoration trajectory, proving biological recovery not just visual greening
  • Soil Quality Hectares and Quality-Km provide condition-adjusted metrics for nature market access
  • Portfolio ECI gives trustees, donors and funders a single comparable figure for conservation impact

Soil ECI

Restoration evidence - globally

Replace disconnected monitoring with one replicable standard. Reveals performance ranges across your estate, enabling budget reallocation and unlocking biodiversity funding narratives.

Freshwater ECI

Riparian restoration - GB

Evidence biological recovery in river restoration projects. WFD-aligned scores that communicateprogress to regulators, funders and the public.

Consultancies

The challenge

Clients are demanding more rigorous, defensible biodiversity data than satellite outputs or desk-based tools can provide. TNFD, CSRD and SBTN require biological depth that traditional approaches cannot deliver at portfolio scale.

How the suite helps

  • Offer Accounting for Nature"- accredited soil metrics without in-house lab investment
  • Deliver WFD-aligned river biological assessments faster and at lower cost than conventional surveys
  • Technical credibility in TNFD and CSRD proposals - every score traceable to raw data, no black box
  • White-label or co-brand the suite across your service lines

Soil ECI

Differentiate your offer - globally

Offer clients the only globally applicable, AFN-accredited soil condition metric. Technical excellence that competitors without accredited methodology cannot match.

Freshwater ECI

WFD-aligned river data - GB

High-integrity freshwater biological assessments for EIA, TNFD and natural capital accounts - faster and at lower cost than conventional biomonitoring surveys.

Works with your
existing frameworks

Our Ecosystem Condition Indices integrate seamlessly with
leading disclosure frameworks and regulatory requirements

TNFD

Taskforce on Nature-related
Financial Disclosures

Natural Capital Accounting

Natural Capital Accounting frameworks

CSRD

Corporate Sustainability
Reporting Directive

EU Soil
Monitoring Law

Directive (EU) 2025/2360 on soil monitoring and resilience

GRI

Global Reporting Initiative
Standards

ISO 14008

Monetary Valuation of
Environmental Impacts

SBTN

Science Based Targets
for Nature

IFRS S2

Climate-related & Nature
Disclosures

The gold standard in ecosystem condition and resilience measurement

NatureMetrics Soil Ecosystem Condition Index is currently the only globally applicable metric for assessing soil microbial
condition. The soil microbe methodology has been independently accredited by Accounting for Nature (AfN-METHOD-M-01) with an accuracy level of 95%, enabling its use in Certified Environmental Accounts under the Accounting for Nature® Framework to support credible claims on soil microbial condition. Accreditation was

awarded following an independent review by Accounting for Nature's Independent Science Committee, confirming that the Method meets the required high standards of scientific rigour. Accounting for Nature is a globally recognised standard that supports credible, transparent, and science-based environmental condition accounting, providing a robust foundation for clear and defensible claims.