R-evolution, Hexagon’s sustainable innovation and green-tech investment subsidiary, has announced the launch of its forest initiative Green Cubes. This initiative aims to accelerate biodiversity rainforest conservation worldwide by utilizing Hexagon’s reality capture technology to accurately measure and visualize the volume and complexity of the rainforest in 3D. R-evolution is enabling corporations to sponsor rainforest segments on a cubic meter basis.
The first Green Cubes have been introduced in Costa Rica to support the preservation and expansion of the COBIGA corridor, home to numerous endangered species. R-evolution has partnered with La Gamba Tropenstation, an Austrian research station associated with the University of Vienna, to map 100 square kilometers of rainforest, focusing on 500 hectares, equivalent to 125 million Green Cubes.
“We are turning the tide for biodiversity and our planet’s future, harnessing the power of Hexagon’s technology to protect the world’s critical ecosystems,” said Paolo Guglielmini, President and CEO, Hexagon. “Green Cubes presents a transformative opportunity for local communities, ESG-committed corporations and our environment.”
Powered by Hexagon’s digital reality platform (HxDR), R-evolution has led the development of the Green Cubes Methodology, a pioneering approach to forest monitoring and visualization. This approach combines technology and science to generate a digital twin of the forest, leveraging Hexagon’s state-of-the-art airborne hybrid image and LiDAR sensors and ground-based reality capture technology to measure and visualize forest volume, complexity, and biodiversity indication.
Deforestation, livestock farming, and palm oil production have caused an average 69% decline in wildlife populations, according to the World Wildlife Fund. In response to this alarming decline, R-evolution initiated Green Cubes to protect crucial biodiversity rainforest corridors.
In collaboration with leading scientists and local communities to enhance conservation initiatives, the project meets ESG contribution requirements for corporate sponsors and provides forest owners with a sustainable, recurring income to make conservation financially viable.