First Look

An ambitious, multinational research project funded by NASA and co-led by UB successfully documented one of the most biodiverse places on the planet: South Africa’s Greater Cape Floristic Region.

BioSCape, NASA’s first-ever biodiversity-focused campaign, used a combination of aircraft equipped with remote-sensing technology and on-the-ground fieldwork (shown here) to measure and monitor virtually every aspect of the environment for six weeks in 2023, providing a comprehensive look at the region’s terrestrial, marine and freshwater life systems.

Adam Wilson, associate professor in UB’s Department of Geography, is the co-PI and terrestrial science lead for the multiyear effort. Involving more than 160 scientists internationally, the project received a Group Achievement Award as part of the 2024-25 NASA Honor Awards.

The team has already published dozens of studies and continues to analyze its data, all of which has been made freely available to the public.

“I look forward to the next few years as more results are published,” says Wilson, “and we can start using that information to better understand and conserve our vital ecosystems around the world.”