Meet the winners of the Bioregions Open Innovation Challenge
The European Forest Institute (EFI) announced on 3 July 2023 the Bioregions Open Innovation Challenge winners launched in December 2022. The three winners from Finland, Serbia and Spain will receive EUR 7,000 each to further develop their solutions.
Here are the three winners in alphabetical order:
Biomonitoring station
The biomonitoring station is a set of sensors and modules to collect, store and disseminate data on environmental stressors disturbing and damaging forest ecosystems. Some examples include monitoring air pollution, detecting early forest fires, and checking unwanted vehicles along forest roads.
“This biomonitoring station aims to contribute to the integrity of forest-related data. Therefore, foresters become data providers of direct air pollution impact instead of end users. This tool can bring early warnings on agents of negative impact on forests that are closely connected to the effects of climate change,” said Dr Zoran Poduška, Institute of Forestry, Belgrade, Serbia and winner of the Open Innovation Challenge.
Förecast
Förecast is a forest intelligence tool that estimates the carbon stock available in the forest and measures other forest variables using remote sensing (LiDAR + satellite) and artificial intelligence developed by the Spanish company Föra.
“Carbon is one of the most important forest variables nowadays; estimating forest carbon is of utmost importance to create stable markets through forest knowledge and scientific soundness,” says Iñigo Lizarralde, CEO of the company.
This carbon estimation tool can be used as input for forest scenarios where wood products and carbon sequestration over their life cycle are included. They also offer change detection for vegetation disturbance, allowing for transparent carbon stock monitoring—assuring the market offers verifiable carbon offsets along the established offsetting period.
Zerti Carbon app
Zerti Carbon, a company that offers certified carbon sink solutions using blockchain technology, is dedicated to advancing climate-smart forestry solutions, connecting forest owners with companies interested in neutralising carbon emissions.
By digitising forests and using advanced technologies like drone scanning, Lidar, machine learning, augmented reality, and AI to analyse the forest’s carbon sinks, the Finnish company Zerti Carbon provides a system where individuals and companies can offset their carbon emissions by purchasing carbon credits.
Zerti Carbon plans to scale up its solution by focusing on conducting research and developing carbon sink projects in Catalonia and Euskadi.
According to Zerti Carbon’s co-founder and managing director Panu Torniainen, “access to these regions enables us to establish partnerships with landowners, implement advanced technologies and create transparent and reliable carbon offsetting systems that benefit both the environment and local communities.”
Quotes from the winners about their solutions have been edited for content and clarity.
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