Providing digitisation and quantification of forest volume, health, and biodiversity, enabling the translation of nature-based assets into a digital format.
The Green Cubes Nature Methodology combines a set of technologies and scientific research to measure and visualise as well as iteratively validate the biodiversity conservation activities in a forest. It covers three major aspects.
Volume 3D representation of the extent of the forest, including both density and height.
Complexity Capacity of the forest to sustain life based on ecosystem functionality, forest structure, and complexity. Biodiversity indicator Flora and fauna trends on an annual basis.
Volume
Our world is not flat and neither are our forests. Volume - also known as "extent" - is measured with high confidence at sub 5 cm scale accuracy.
Tropical rainforests are volumetric and the full extent can only be measured using 3D-measuring technology. We scan the forest using a technology call LiDAR ( Light Detection and Ranging) and our laser sensors measure the forest at 3cm accuracy.
To measure at scale we mount advanced LEICA Geosystems scanners to fixed-wing aircraft, which are then flown from 2km to 200m -500m, above the forest canopy. The scanners have a 3cm level accuracy, capturing laser photons beamed at 2 million photons per second. The data collected is then digitised and turned into a three-dimensional 1 meter grid. Each cubic meter in the forest grid is uniquely identified and we use this unit as a baseline to add the next tier of data.
Complexity
The health of the forest is understood by its complexity relative to surrounding unspoilt forest stands. Fauna biodiversity is directly proportional to flora biodiversity which is interdependent on soil biodiversity. We measure and track canopy, interior and subterranean biodiversity indexes.
Healthy forests are complex, and the more complex they are, the higher number of niches and micro-biomes that unique species can occupy. The more volume the forest has, the greater the living space. These factors determine biodiversity. Fauna fills up a healthy forest like a glass filling up with water. Forest complexity depends heavily on the number of fauna species.
Trees are the main focus as they form the primary structure of the complex nature web. Identifying each species of tree at ground-level usually takes years. However, we can use multispectral spectrum bands to measure complexity. We don't know the name of every tree species - but we can match the complexity to known forest stands to build up the gauge.
Acoustics monitoring
Because of their sensitivity, frogs are the rainforest equivalent of the "canary in the coal mine" plummeting frog abundance is an early sign of trouble.
Frogs absorb water directly through their skin providing little to no protection from toxins and pathogens, this makes them particularly sensitive and a strong indicato of rainforest health. Healthy frog populations are also highly vocal making them an excellant measure of the state of a rainforest. This is the reason they are one of the indicators we measure using acoustics together with birds and general soundscape. Gen-AI is trained to identify specific species, while for unknown species - the sound scape captured can be indexed as a measure of complexity.
Soil eDNA
Below ground we measure the soil biodiversity using coring samples, applying Shannon, richness and Evenness metrics.
Soil ecosystems and biodiversity below ground is every bit as compex as the more visible forest above ground and in additon it is the soil that forms the foundation of a healthly, biodiverse enviroment above ground. To measure this we detect Bacteria, Microfauna (nematodes, springtails, mites, algae ect) & fungi. We then use metrics including Alpha diversity (Shannon, Richness, Evenness), Community composition differences and ecosystem functions.
Camera traps
Camera traps are critical to verify that the habitat is not only viable but with evidence of large mammals and ground birds, that it is also populated.
