Powerful, scalable biodiversity data delivered safely and sustainably using DNA
From bacteria to blue whales, we will help you monitor biodiversity in contexts ranging from conservation to environmental impact assessments.
We have a wide range of tried and tested products and services for identifying many different species.
Our core services are:
eDNA from water
Great Crested Newt eDNA
Species from faeces
DNA from soils and sediments
Invertebrates
Water bodies are a soup of wildlife DNA. We survey biodiversity from bacteria to blue whales using the tiny fragments of DNA that species leave behind in their environment. We can look for high risk invasive or protected species or survey multiple species. We send you our custom-designed kits that have been validated by thousands of our clients in the field, and you send us your samples for analysis.
Use the Natural England-approved qPCR test to determine presence or absence of Great Crested Newts (GCN) using eDNA. We have run a highly successful GCN eDNA service since 2015 and have processed thousands of samples for a wide variety of clients. Our unique NM FieldMate app allows you to record your data in the field and you can also use the customer portal to track the progress of your samples in the lab and access your reports online.
DNA isolated from faeces can be used both to identify the ‘host’ species (doer of the deed) and prey species for diet assessment.
We offer routine analysis of droppings for bat species ID along with more bespoke services for a wide range of projects.
Let’s discuss your project needs and see how we can help.
A single gram of soil can harbour the hundreds of species of bacteria, fungi and microscopic animals. This little-known world of biodiversity plays a crucial role in supporting healthy ecosystems from forests to farmland. In aquatic sediments, organisms from difficult-to-study biological communities can act as powerful indicators of ecosystems change in response to impact and management. Our analyses unlock this powerful biological data layer, providing insights into soil health and ecosystem quality.
The small things in nature are often the most important. They sit at the bottom of food webs and are sensitive indicators of ecological status – but they are also very difficult to study. Our Invertebrate services overcome the significant challenges associated with surveying these groups. We use metabarcoding to process unsorted collections of invertebrates, providing data at a scale that has not previously been accessible.
What our clients have to say
With NatureMetrics’ innovative aquatic eDNA service, we at WWF Peru were able to fully achieve our survey goal of detecting spatial distributions of six culturally and commercially important aquatic species along the Maranon river, and we exceeded our goal by also detecting hundreds of additional vertebrate species, which we can start to take into account in designing a sensitive index of basin-ecosystem health.
Thanks to the eDNA service provided by NatureMetrics, ERM has been able to prove the efficacy and Health and Safety benefits of using eDNA as a survey technique and to highlight its value as a method of rapidly scoping sites without the need for a specialist taxonomist to be present. Following the successful use of eDNA in the Sierra Leone project, ERM has since commissioned NatureMetrics to analyse samples taken at mining development sites in Serbia, with promising results, including the detection of species of conservation concern not picked up by conventional survey methods.
The results produced were well presented and easy to interpret. They will be straightforward to compare with the results of subsequent years of sampling. The summary of results presented at the start of the NatureMetrics report gives a concise synopsis of key findings. The information in the report provided by NatureMetrics is in many ways ideal for a site such as this, where we are not expecting the occurrence of any particularly rare or interesting species (which might require specialist search methods) but are more interested in any changes in species composition and abundance.
Carrying out a comprehensive biodiversity assessment has never been simpler.
Discuss your project with our team of experts to map your requirements.
Register your my.naturemetrics account then place and track your orders online.
Collect your samples and input data into the app, then post to our labs.
NatureMetrics will process and analyse your samples.
You will receive a detailed report of your results on your my.naturemetrics account.
We will follow up and offer further support if you need it.
Turning nature into data with NatureMetrics
Strengthening our understanding of UK biodiversity is a priority for effective management, yet we have an urgent need for better data. NatureMetrics scientists have developed scalable DNA based monitoring technologies that complement our existing biodiversity dataflows, giving rise to a new data layer for biodiversity generated using DNA species leave behind in their environment.
NatureMetrics: how we will make the next five years count for nature
Five years ago, NatureMetrics was a small team of people with a passion for DNA and its potential to change the way we manage biodiversity. We started off using eDNA to detect the protected Great Crested Newt for our clients. Today, we are over 40 people working with clients all over the world and have monitored tens of thousands of species across four continents.
Building back better: COVID, Nature and Sustainable Innovation
The year 2020 had been dubbed the super year for nature - critical global agreements on Sustainable Development Goals, biodiversity and the UN climate COP all hotly anticipated. But 2020 was instead famous only for COVID-19. From adversity, the green shoots of change are emerging in ways we could never have imagined at the turn of the decade.
Stay Informed
As global pioneers in our field, we’re constantly accelerating the scope and impact of our technologies and services.
