BioSCape, a multinational research project to monitor Earth’s biodiversity from the air, has received a 2024–25 Group Achievement Award from NASA. The honor is given to NASA-funded groups that contribute substantially to the agency’s mission. The BioSCape team was credited for “advancing the understanding of ecosystem structure, function and composition and their change over time.”
Co-led by Erin Hestir, director of CITRIS at UC Merced, and the University at Buffalo’s Adam Wilson, BioSCape was NASA’s first-ever biodiversity-focused campaign. It used a combination of aircraft equipped with remote sensing technology and field work to collect data about South Africa’s Greater Cape Floristic Region, one of the most biodiverse places on the planet.
BioSCape is also the subject of a new documentary, “The Spectrum of Life.” Film crews accompanied Hestir and the BioSCape team along their African journey, providing a deeper look into the project. CITRIS will host a screening of the documentary on Thursday, Nov. 6.
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