In the midst of the UN Conference on Biodiversity (COP15), it was revealed that a small percentage of forests globally are in good condition, a situation that Estonian greentech Single.Earth seeks to reverse with the presentation of its Ecosystem Integrity Index.

According to this report, which uses a novel methodology, there are currently only 11.4 million square kilometers of healthy or high-integrity forests left, which represents 28.01% of all forests worldwide, a dramatic environmental emergency that has been exacerbated by uncontrolled phenomena such as deforestation, changes in land use, and agricultural production.

Shaya van Houdt, biodiversity and natural climate solution expert at Single.Earth, stated:

Deforestation, land-use change, and forest degradation continue to take place at alarming rates, contributing significantly to the ongoing loss of biodiversity. High western-world demands for so-called ‘luxury products’ are at the heart of the issue and are grounded within the way our economy is set up.

About the Ecosystem Integrity Index

With the objective of measuring the condition of forest ecosystems and integrating nature into the economic chain, this Single.Earth tool combines into a single metric essential biodiversity variables from the peer-reviewed literature with remotely-sensed ground observations that capture the function, composition and structure of the ecosystem.

Single.Earth, backed by EQT, a Swedish investment group that has around twenty venture capital funds invested in unlisted companies, is carrying out a process of "tokenization" of nature, initially focusing on the ecological value of biodiverse forests.

Earlier this year, the company began carbon sequestration assessment and tokenization, and is now adding biodiversity to its offering.

We turn to you – people, landowners, and businesses – join the nature-backed economy and use MERIT to create a truly sustainable future.

You're the essential participants in building the #NatureBackedEconomy.

Join us at https://t.co/C2Iy7S0lmN #TechForGood #ClimateAction pic.twitter.com/sydvFseBU9

— Single.Earth (@SingleEarth1) December 7, 2022

Its MERIT token, which has been designed from the ground up using evidence-based science, reflects the value of nature in a way that is compatible with the Web3 world and increases interest from innovative companies and crypto-savvy private investors.

Through this utility token, which represents the value of intact and thriving nature as well as ecological integrity, buyers protect primary Amazon rainforests in Brazil and mature forests in Europe, while receiving an asset virtual based on the nature of real life.

“Forests integrity is crucial as the health of the remaining forests is vital to preventing climate change and biodiversity loss,” noted Arildo Dias, senior researcher of natural climate solutions at Single.Earth.

About Single.Earth

Founded by Merit Valdsalu and Andrus Aaslaid in 2019 with a mission to make nature-positive decisions financially viable, its investors include EQT Ventures, Icebreaker.VC, and Pipedrive founders, Ragnar Sass and Martin Henk.