AI-Powered Nature Projects Show Real-World Gains After £2 Million in Pilot Funding

A £2 million boost from Innovate UK has helped turn six cutting-edge projects, powered by artificial intelligence and data, into real-world environmental solutions. These initiatives are no longer just ideas on paper; they’re already making a tangible impact, attracting further funding and commercial partnerships.

This funding was part of a larger £7 million initiative under the Integrating Finance and Biodiversity for a Nature-Positive Future programme, led by the Natural Environment Research Council. The selected projects each received between £250,000 and £500,000 to tackle serious environmental issues through the use of AI, big data, and geospatial technologies.

Here’s a closer look at the highlights:

• Ocean Ledger enhanced its geospatial analytics system to forecast coastal erosion and infrastructure decay along shorelines. Designed for insurers, councils, and engineering firms, its platform helps anticipate sea level rise and storm surge damage. Since receiving the grant, the company has joined Lloyd’s Lab, the UK’s leading insurance tech accelerator.

• TierraSphere, in collaboration with the University of Huddersfield, built an AI-powered system that can monitor and predict how soils sequester inorganic carbon. They’ve already restored 40 hectares of land in rural Mexico, and future iterations will assess the impact on biodiversity, water retention, and community benefits as well.

• Auquan partnered with University College London to develop an AI tool that dramatically speeds up and refines the way investors analyse geospatial nature data, particularly valuable for environmental due diligence.

• Caledonian Climate Partners, in collaboration with New Gradient, has launched a drone-based AI platform that streamlines the planning of peatland restoration. It has already landed a contract with the Cairngorms National Park Authority and supports goals outlined by the IUCN Peatland Programme.

• City Science Corporation joined forces with Caerphilly County Borough Council to deliver a digital land assessment tool that helps embed natural capital thinking into local planning processes. The tool is being used to counter habitat loss and promote biodiversity in future development decisions.

• Zulu Ecosystems, alongside Severn Trent Water, developed a modelling tool to assess how various land use strategies can improve flood management, drought resilience, and water quality. Their work on the River Idle catchment area pinpoints restoration zones that offer benefits across carbon storage, ecosystem health, and water sustainability.

Catherine Makin, Innovation Lead for Green Finance at Innovate UK, said the projects were already demonstrating powerful use cases: “Each project addresses a crucial environmental need — from coastal conservation to water resilience and peatland restoration. We’re delighted to see real progress in unlocking nature-positive investment, and the fact that several projects have already attracted follow-on funding speaks volumes.”

These ventures are already gaining traction commercially. Two are actively in discussions with investors, and others have secured pilot projects or formal contracts to scale their offerings.

Ocean Ledger’s CEO, Paige Roepers, added: “Support from Innovate UK accelerated our development dramatically. We’ve created product-ready workflows and been invited to join Lloyd’s Lab, which helps us showcase our solution to major insurers and customers.”

As nature-positive investing gains momentum worldwide, these six projects stand out as examples of what happens when advanced technology meets environmental urgency. They demonstrate that addressing ecological problems can be mutually beneficial with financial returns.