Highland cattle and satellites: working together for nature
Natural processes benefit from innovation. Together with Accenture, we explored how digital technology might support our fieldwork. The result: a new, evidence-based approach to floodplain management, driven by satellite imagery and AI.
The Noordwaard area in the Biesbosch National Park is one of the locations where large grazers help shape the landscape and contribute to regional water safety, including protection for nearby urban areas like Rotterdam. Until now, management has relied heavily on the knowledge and experience of field staff. However, a strategic shift is underway: the ambition is to work in a more data-driven, future-oriented manner.
That is where the Connected Floodplains project comes in. Together with Accenture, FREE Nature is taking a next step in the digitalization of natural grazing management.
One of the key innovations in this collaboration is the development of a remote sensing app. This app, created with Accenture's support, uses satellite imagery and a vegetation classification model to monitor and manage floodplains and herds. The model based on information provided by the GPS collars worn by our large grazers, alongside aerial imagery, weather data, and hydrological maps. Artificial intelligence makes the model self-learning, allowing it to improve over time as more information becomes available. This enables us to more accurately predict how vegetation will respond under various grazing regimes.
These insights are then linked to practical management goals, such as ensuring sufficient water flow capacity for flood protection. The potential of the model reaches far beyond our own projects. In the long term, it could be applied to other river systems across Europe, where the impacts of climate change, including extreme weather and flooding, are becoming increasingly urgent.
The next step is to further explore grazing in dry ecosystems, making the model relevant for a range of environments.
Accenture and FREE Nature have already taken the first concrete steps in this development. After the summer, the system will go live, marking the start of a testing and learning phase—not just for FREE Nature and Accenture, but also for all the AI agents monitoring the flood plains. It is an example of how ecology and technology can reinforce each other, with benefits for nature, safety, and resilience.
Photos: Accenture