The Natural Capital Initiative pioneers a strategy merging conservation, digital and AI technologies, and financial incentives to restore ecosystems. AECOM was commissioned by the initiative’s proponent, Napital Group, to establish their pilot project in Bintan Island, Indonesia. The project is inspired by the successful Natural Capital Laboratory in Scotland and aims to localize a cutting-edge methodology for ecosystem restoration while harnessing the power of digital tools to monitor and communicate ecological progress through key natural capital data. Furthermore, the data aims to create business incentive to make conservation financially sustainable.
The Natural Capital Initiative pilot project is a 100-hectare area on Bintan Island, where degraded hillside will be restored into a high-performance forest habitat. Baseline data will be used to set future targets and compared with data gathered after the restoration activities to determine the natural capital gains of the project. Although established methods exist for monitoring air, water, soil and carbon, biodiversity remains a relatively new area. To address this, we will utilize a combination of drones, camera traps, audio monitors and eDNA. We will also employ our innovative Singapore Biodiversity Accounting Metric to assess environmental impact objectively and quantifiably.
The gathered data will be displayed in a natural capital digital twin so that stakeholders are able to track the progress of the site. The initiative’s goal is to present environmental data in a visually friendly manner that engages even non-scientists to generate support, receive feedback, and educate the public. As the Bintan Island pilot project progresses, AECOM, in collaboration with Napital Group, aims to open a gateway for the commercial sector to actively engage in ecosystem enhancement.