A carbon offset ratings agency has launched a trial project in Uganda to assess the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to measure biodiversity values in ecosystems, including as basis for the issuance of nature credits.
BeZero Carbon will collect water and soil samples from Kibale National Park in Uganda during the June dry season, and send samples to Makerere University for processing, filtration, and DNA extraction, the company said in a research update.
The aim is to determine the effectiveness of using eDNA samples to measure and monitor ecosystems, a method that is being pushed by service providers as more efficient and less time- and work-intensive than traditional manual methods of wildlife observation.
UK nature intelligence firm NatureMetrics has been a particularly strong eDNA proponent, and has recently entered into partnerships to develop measuring services at sea and in the air, in additional to established land-based product, but the method is also being tried out by others, including the Australian government.
“Preliminary findings suggest that eDNA can be used to detect threatened and rare species, invasive species (including plants), and microbial communities,” BeZero wrote in its research update.
“Environmental DNA could therefore provide a relatively low cost, quantitative measure for assessing wider ecosystem health.”
When the pilot has been concluded, BeZero will release a report evaluating some of the major associated issues with eDNA, such as setting up field plots, extracting DNA samples, and exploring the work being done and relating it to the voluntary carbon market and biodiversity/nature credits, Tommy Ricketts, BeZero’s CEO, told Carbon Pulse.
The London-based company has established itself as one of several carbon offset rating agencies, but has ambitions to become an ecosystem assets rating agency, which includes expanding into adjacent markets such as biodiversity.
“Today, BeZero is investing in the R&D and advocacy side of market development in line with the phase of the biodiversity market – hence recent reports in biodiversity metrics, our conference last week, and the start of some of our research partnerships with other institutions,” Ricketts said.
“For example, no biodiversity credits have been issued yet and crediting schemes, like carbon, will range in quality turbo-charged with the complexities of defining biodiversity – unlike carbon. We want biodiversity markets to be transparent and uphold environmental integrity so there’s lots of market building to do,” he added.
By Stian Reklev – stian@carbon-pulse.com
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