The COMUNIDAD project took centre stage at the recent BIO-CAPITAL General Assembly held from March 31st – April 2nd 2025, in Prague, Czech Republic, where the COMUNIDAD WP6 Lead, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hynek Roubík presented the COMUNIDAD Project as a Horizon Europe-funded initiative that exemplifies how European space technologies can be adapted to meet local sustainability challenges across Latin America. The event underscored not only the innovation behind COMUNIDAD but also its deep alignment with the objectives of the BIO-CAPITAL project, particularly in leveraging space-based data to drive biodiversity protection and sustainable finance.

Connecting Space Technologies with Local Impact

COMUNIDAD sort for: Combined Use of EGNSS and Copernicus Data to Develop Innovative Downstream Services for the Users from Chile and Colombia, is funded under the HORIZON-EUSPA-2022-SPACE call. At its core, it is about empowering local users in Chile and Colombia by co-developing geospatial tools that address real-world needs in agriculture, forestry, and rural development.

Dr. Roubík highlighted two core application areas:

  • Forestry management in Chile, where satellite data supports sustainable forestry practices and biodiversity monitoring.
  • Rural development in Colombia, where Copernicus-based tools guide decisions in land use, agriculture, and climate resilience.

Rather than simply deploying technology, COMUNIDAD builds a stakeholder-driven ecosystem where local actors help shape the development of new data products and algorithms, ensuring technical robustness while maximising local relevance.

Biodiversity, Finance, and Satellite Data: The BIO-CAPITAL Synergy

The presentation revealed powerful synergies between COMUNIDAD and BIO-CAPITAL, an interdisciplinary Horizon Europe project dedicated to developing biodiversity-friendly investment frameworks supported by advanced space technology. BIO-CAPITAL recognises that biodiversity protection and restoration are essential for ecological balance and long-term planetary sustainability, yet public funds alone are often insufficient to meet the growing environmental challenges.

To address this, BIO-CAPITAL activates innovative financing mechanisms that blend private investment with geospatial technologies like Copernicus and EGNSS. By doing so, it enhances investor confidence while delivering measurable environmental benefits. The project moves through three implementation phases:

  1. Learning from use cases across biodiversity, finance, and technology.
  2. Demonstrating and monitoring through concrete pilot applications.
  3. Co-developing and scaling solutions in collaboration with stakeholders.

Both COMUNIDAD and BIO-CAPITAL place strong emphasis on participatory development and stakeholder engagement, highlighting the importance of local knowledge in shaping effective and replicable solutions. Dr. Roubík invited members of both consortia to explore joint opportunities in:

  • Cross-regional knowledge exchange
  • Shared stakeholder engagement strategies
  • Technical collaboration on geospatial tools and biodiversity indicators

Toward a Shared Future for Space-Based Sustainability

The BIO-CAPITAL General Assembly served as a launchpad for future cooperation between these two Horizon Europe initiatives. With COMUNIDAD tailoring Earth observation data to Latin American needs, and BIO-CAPITAL driving biodiversity-sensitive finance using space analytics, both projects demonstrate the transformative power of cross-sectoral collaboration.

As Dr. Roubík concluded, “Space-based data can only make a difference if it’s anchored in local knowledge, needs, and capabilities. COMUNIDAD is about making that connection real and replicable.”

Stay tuned as COMUNIDAD and BIO-CAPITAL continue to redefine how space technology empowers sustainability, from Europe to Latin America and beyond.