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Nine recommendations for improving biodiversity measurement

Two researchers in outdoor clothing crouch beside a shallow stream in a forested woodland area, examining the water and rocky streambed as part of field research, with trees and forest floor visible in the background.
Research area:Environmental ScienceBiodiversityCitizen science

What the study found: The authors say biodiversity measurement is changing rapidly because of advances in citizen science, image recognition, acoustic monitoring, environmental DNA, genomics, remote sensing, and artificial intelligence (AI). They outline nine recommended changes for improving biodiversity measurement and monitoring.
Why the authors say this matters: The study suggests that better biodiversity information is needed to assess environmental change, identify areas for biodiversity protection or ecosystem services, judge whether actions are effective, and support decision-making for a sustainable planet. The authors conclude that new, rigorous, resilient, and accessible biodiversity information systems are needed to underpin policies and practices for maintaining and restoring ecological systems.
What the researchers tested: This is a perspective article, not an experimental study. The authors synthesize recent developments in biodiversity measurement and monitoring and present nine key recommendations.
What worked and what didn't: The abstract reports that novel technologies offer opportunities to integrate data sources, standardize data collection, calibrate new technologies with existing data, fill data gaps, and increase capacity, especially in the tropics. It also says challenges remain, including the risk of AI hallucinated or false information, the need to value data generation, respect Indigenous Knowledge, measure the effectiveness of actions, and make global datasets more resilient to technical and societal change.
What to keep in mind: The abstract does not provide experimental results, quantitative comparisons, or evidence for the nine recommendations. It also does not describe limitations beyond noting the challenges associated with the new technologies and data systems.

Key points

  • Biodiversity measurement is changing rapidly because of new technologies such as AI, remote sensing, genomics, and environmental DNA.
  • The authors propose nine changes for improving biodiversity measurement and monitoring.
  • The study says better biodiversity data are needed to assess environmental change and support policy and practice.
  • Challenges include false AI-generated information, data gaps, and the need to respect Indigenous Knowledge.
  • The abstract describes a perspective article, not an experiment with quantified results.

Disclosure

Research title:
Nine recommendations for improving biodiversity measurement
Authors:
William J. Sutherland, Neil D. Burgess, Scott V. Edwards, Julia P. G. Jones, Pamela S. Soltis, David G. Tilman, Julie M. Allen, Herizo T. Andrianandrasana, Cathrine J. Armour, Tom August, Kamaljit S. Bawa, Sallie Bailey, Tanya Birch, Philipp H. Boersch‐Supan, Jeannine Cavender‐Bares, Mark Blaxter, Rebecca Chaplin‐Kramer, Barnabas H. Daru, Adriana De Palma, Cristina Eisenberg, Chris S. Elphick, Robert P. Freckleton, Winifred F. Frick, Andrew González, Scott J Goetz, Lior Greenspoon, Christina M. Grozingeree, Don L. Hankins, Jonny Hazell, Nick J. B. Isaac, Marco Lambertini, Harris A. Lewin, Oisin Mac Aodha, Anil Madhavapeddy, EJ Milner-Gulland, Ron Milo, James O’Dwyer, Andy Purvis, Nick Salafsky, Heather Tallis, Iroro Tanshi, V Vijay, Martin Wikelski, David Williams, S. Hollis Woodard, Gene E. Robinson
Institutions:
University of Cambridge, Conservation Leadership Programme, University of Copenhagen, UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Harvard University, Bangor University, Utrecht University, Biodiversity Research Institute, University of Minnesota, Virginia Tech, University of Helsinki, Financial Research (Hungary), UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment, Natural England, Google (United States), British Trust for Ornithology, Wellcome Sanger Institute, WWF Colombia, WWF Tanzania, Stanford University, American Museum of Natural History, InfoConsult (Germany), University of Connecticut, University of Sheffield, University of California, Santa Cruz, Bat Conservation International, McGill University, Northern Arizona University, Planta, Weizmann Institute of Science, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, California State University System, Royal Society, Royal Society of South Australia, U.S. President's Malaria Initiative, Futures Group (United States), University of Edinburgh, University of Oxford, Carnegie Department of Plant Biology, Center for Climate and Resilience Research, University of Washington, Target (United States), Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, University of Konstanz, University of Leeds, Sustainability Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Publication date:
2026-03-04
DOI:
10.1073/pnas.2519345123
OpenAlex record:
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AI provenance: This post was generated by OpenAI. The original authors did not write or review this post.

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