According to the UNEP State of Finance for Nature 2023 report, there is a $700 billion annual financing gap to reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

Source : UNEP

Launched in January 2025, the LEON (Leveraging Earth Observation for Nature Finance) project is jointly led by the University of Oxford and Assimila, both based in the UK. The project brings together a multinational research and innovation consortium working in close collaboration with a wide range of early adopters from the global finance sector. LEON aims to bridge the gap between Earth Observation science and nature finance mechanisms by enhancing the extraction and use of biodiversity-related metrics from EO data.

In the evolving global policy environment, nature finance is rapidly emerging as a key lever to drive private and public capital towards biodiversity conservation and ecosystem restoration. However, while progress has been made in defining biodiversity frameworks and disclosure requirements—such as the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and the EU Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR)—there remains a significant challenge in generating EO-based metrics that are scientifically credible, decision-relevant, and aligned with financial sector standards.

LEON responds to this gap by developing and demonstrating EO-enabled solutions that support environmental markets, nature-positive investment strategies, and climate-nature synergies. It also seeks to improve the integration and usability of EO data in financial decision-making processes, enhance the scalability of EO solutions for monitoring natural capital, and support policy development and environmental reporting.

Beyond the technical and methodological innovations, the project is deeply focused on fostering a stronger interface between the EO and finance communities. Through targeted engagement, co-design processes, and open dialogue, LEON will catalyze interdisciplinary collaboration and help shape the future landscape of nature finance monitoring systems.