Client Testimonials

It has been great for Jacobs to partner with NatureMetrics on this project. Using DNA to characterise soils in such detail has significantly improved our understanding of the woodlands and pasture grassland likely to be affected by the scheme. Soil translocation as part of the overall mitigation strategy for woodland replacement represents a significant investment and it is important to have a good understanding of the benefits versus the costs.

We were excited to see the results of the eDNA sampling undertaken by NatureMetrics as it gave us a unique view into the diversity of the different habitats we have across the estate. Importantly, it gave us a standardised, repeatable baseline of data that we can measure at regular intervals to monitor the impacts of our nature restoration and rewilding efforts.

We believe that eDNA has the potential to become a leading standard measure of biodiversity impacts across the world, similar to how carbon is currently measured in tonnes of CO2. We look forward to working with NatureMetrics in the future to see how this develops.

We used the NatureMetrics aquatic eDNA service to survey for native white-clawed and invasive signal crayfish, and the experience was very good, including the guidance provided by technical staff and the practicalities of shipping and processing equipment and samples, which all worked well. NatureMetrics were also good at helping with interpretation of the results – The technical backup was excellent with great advice on sampling and interpretation of eDNA results.

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. It will be very interesting to see how results compare in following years, with NatureMetrics results allowing us to easily detect changes in the invertebrate communities of the grassland margins of this wind farm.

With NatureMetrics’ innovative aquatic eDNA service, we at WWF Peru were able to fully achieve our survey goal of detecting the spatial distributions of six culturally and commercially important aquatic species along the Marañon river, and we exceeded our goal by also detecting hundreds of additional vertebrate species, which we can now start to take into account in designing a sensitive index of basin-ecosystem health. Without eDNA and NatureMetrics, we would have been relegated to visual surveys for just river dolphins, itself requiring more field time than the eDNA survey, and to opportunistic interviews for the other five target species, which are less reliable, auditable, and systematic. The hundreds of other species detections would not have been possible at all.

The Ock Arable project is engaging with farmers across the Ock catchment in partnership with Environment Agency to help tackle diffuse pollution and identify areas for potential wetland habitat improvement works and installation of Natural Flood Management measures. We undertook eDNA kits at 7 locations in the Ock catchment to collect baseline data on fish assemblages in the project area. The NatureMetrics eDNA kits are easy to use in the field, and the team are very responsive and helpful throughout the process, from ordering kits to receiving survey results.

NatureMetrics performed a pilot study at our Los Amigos Biological Station in the Peruvian Amazon in 2018 detecting an immense amount of biodiversity, including 98 unique fish, 11 amphibians, 10 birds. 5 reptiles, and 29 mammals. Their analysis gives us an insight into the presence of the species living in and around our conservation area. Establishing a baseline of biodiversity is extremely important to us, as we need to understand the ecosystem in order to protect it. The eDNA pilot of NatureMetrics has inspired us to continue the implementation of this easy and fast conservation tool and explore the biodiversity in remote areas with illegal activities (hunting, logging, mining), to set up an aquatic biodiversity baseline and to use eDNA more specifically to identify bat and rodent species, which are hard to name solely based on photographic observations. For us as conservationists, eDNA is an indispensable tool to monitor and subsequently protect wildlife.

On behalf of Wildlife Works Carbon LLC, I wish to acknowledge You and Your Team’s exceptional performance of this pilot contract, your work was absolutely exemplary, proactive to the challenges at stake, we were all impressed by your dedication to rise-up to the difficult challenges born-out of the harsh environments we operate in DRC, your professional agility to consider solutions outside your initial scope of work in support this first eDNA campaign and the quality of your delivery, the scientific accuracy and professionalism of your final report .. and for these reasons, I took the liberty to include Nature Metrics in our Vendors Recognition Program. This is an elite program only overseen by our Executive Directors, with the purpose of raising awareness and appreciation at the highest level, for the companies and individuals whom have been of exceptional value to the Wildlife Works mission, and recognizing their efforts formally with a Certificate signed by your President.

It was just mind-blowing to see the diversity of invertebrate life identified through Nature Metrics’ DNA analysis of these three rivers. If there was ever a means of illustrating and understanding the ecologic wonders of an English chalk stream – this was it.

Anchor Environmental Consultants worked with NatureMetrics to conduct eDNA sampling for a range of aquatic habitats throughout Africa. NatureMetrics provided eDNA sampling kits and advice on sampling design in the field. eDNA services in South Africa are extremely limited, and we felt NatureMetrics was the best company to work with. This turned out to be true – We had a great experience and will definitely continue to partner with NatureMetrics in the future.

The use of eDNA surveys to document the diverse species that inhabit the landscapes we work in has been a game changer. Quickly and cheaply, we can generate volumes of biodiversity data from just a few containers of water or soil.

It’s not just fascinating to learn about the presence of animals that we never knew were there, or that might have taken years to discover with traditional methods; it also builds a case for greater protection of these landscapes and helps us to understand the particular conditions that allow a species to thrive.

eDNA’s usefulness will only grow over time, as more and more data become available to allow comparisons and cross-referencing between scientists around the world, so FFI is delighted to support the eBioAtlas project. The data we generate at our growing number of survey sites in Africa will now contribute to a global biodiversity map of the world’s river systems. Such a resource will not only capture the dazzling variety of species that inhabit these vital landscapes; it will also be a key foundation for our efforts to protect them.