Advancing Conservation with Space Technology: Satellites for Biodiversity Award Opens for Its Third Round

The Satellites for Biodiversity Award returns for its third edition, championing the use of cutting-edge satellite imagery with up to 15 cm resolution to combat wildlife loss and promote habitat preservation amid the looming threat of the sixth mass extinction.

This initiative, a collaboration between the Connected Conservation Foundation (CCF) and the Airbus Foundation, calls for innovative proposals from individuals and not-for-profit organisations. Participants are encouraged to leverage very high-resolution (VHR) satellite data with machine learning and community engagement, to monitor and safeguard the Earth’s most vulnerable creatures and environments.

The award will recognise three outstanding projects, providing them access to Airbus’s Pléiades and Pléiades Neo satellites, which offer exceptional detail at 30 cm and for the first time to the award, 15cm resolution. This precision allows for unprecedented insights, from tracking elephant migrations to detecting human activities that threaten ecosystems.

In addition to satellite access, winners will receive complimentary ArcGIS Pro from ESRI to perform advanced mapping, visualisation and analysis and $6,000 in funding alongside ongoing support and mentorship from the Connected Conservation Foundation, enhancing their ability to create, analyse and share spatial data crucial for their conservation efforts.

Past winners have demonstrated the transformative potential of satellite technology, with projects ranging from protecting chimpanzee habitats in South Sudan to conserving Andean Bears in Peru.

Applications for the award are open globally, focusing on projects that foster human-wildlife coexistence, influence sustainable land-use practices and shape conservation policy.

“At a time when the health of our planet is more fragile than ever, we’re driving the integration of satellite technology, machine learning and local community-led knowledge to protect our most vulnerable species and ecosystems,” says Sophie Maxwell, Executive Director of the Connected Conservation Foundation.

“For the first time, we can capture landscape imagery at an extraordinary 15cm resolution, providing field projects with unparalleled detail and insights into the factors affecting animal populations and ecosystems globally. This innovation gives researchers crucial data on factors affecting threatened species and changes in their habitats.”

"Building on the positive response to the previous editions, we are delighted to launch this third round of the Satellites for Biodiversity award. Our valued partnership with CCF enables us to pursue our global mission to leverage relevant data, tools, technologies and training for positive social and environmental impact” says Hania Tabet, Head of Social Value and Airbus Foundation Director.

“Through the Satellites for Biodiversity award, we strive to support projects acting for the protection of endangered species and their habitats across multiple geographies. Additionally, the Satellite for Biodiversity award also plays a crucial role in supporting policy advocacy and facilitating knowledge sharing."

As the award gains momentum, it continues to inspire a new wave of conservationists to harness the power of space technology for the planet's most pressing environmental challenges.

The Airbus Foundation provides access to Airbus’ unique portfolio of high-tech products, services and know-how to help address some of the world’s most pressing problems, developing impactful partnerships with NGOs and associations around the world to deliver its missions.

CCF unites the capabilities of technology companies to equip local partners with game-changing tools for nature protection and restoration. We help facilitate essential landscape-scale satellite monitoring and on-the-ground sensing solutions, including digital infrastructure, connectivity, communications and sensing devices, enabling conservation managers and local communities to pre-empt and stop poaching, habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict, to build resilient ecosystems and communities.

Esri was founded on the vision that geographic thinking and digital mapping could help design a better world. To this day we remain passionately true to that vision, working closely with charities, government and commercial organisations across the world, to help them sustainably improve the lives of citizens, realise the potential of their communities and protect and nurture the environment for future generations. Our technology ArcGIS and services make sense of complexity and model the world from a geographic perspective that recognises the importance of place in improving people’s lives.

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