Biodiversity Data Management Platforms: EarthRanger vs SMART vs ecoTeka vs GeoNature
Managing biodiversity data is no longer just about storing observations. Today, organizations must collect, structure, analyze, and transform ecological data into decisions—whether for protected areas, cities, infrastructure projects, or corporate biodiversity strategies.
From ranger patrols to urban renaturation, from naturalist inventories to real-time wildlife monitoring, different platforms have emerged to serve different needs. This article compares EarthRanger, SMART, ecoTeka, and GeoNature, four reference platforms in biodiversity data management, and helps you choose the right solution—or the right combination.
What is biodiversity data management?
Biodiversity data management covers the full lifecycle of ecological information:
Field data collection (mobile, GPS, photos, offline)
Data structuring (taxonomies, metadata, permissions)
Integration (sensors, GIS layers, external databases)
Analysis and indicators (dashboards, reporting, decision support)
Sharing and governance (exports, portals, sensitive data rules)
A good platform does not just store data—it supports decisions.
EarthRanger: real-time conservation operations
EarthRanger is designed for real-time operational management of protected areas. It brings together wildlife tracking (GPS collars), ranger teams, vehicles, sensors, and field reports into a single operational view.
Its strength lies in live monitoring and alerts, allowing teams to react quickly to incidents such as poaching risks, animal movements, or safety events. EarthRanger integrates many data sources and is optimized for landscapes where situational awareness is critical.
Best suited for:
Protected areas and wildlife reserves
Real-time operations and incident response
Multi-sensor environments (collars, IoT, satellite data)
Less suited for:
Detailed naturalist data management and long-term biodiversity inventories
SMART: patrol monitoring and enforcement
SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) is a global standard for patrol-based monitoring and conservation enforcement. It structures how patrols collect data on effort, threats, observations, and results, and turns this information into maps and reports for adaptive management.
SMART is particularly strong in low-connectivity environments, where offline data collection and robust synchronization are essential. It focuses on measuring effectiveness: where patrols go, what they find, and how strategies evolve over time.
Best suited for:
Ranger patrols and law-enforcement monitoring
Threat and pressure tracking
Performance evaluation of conservation actions
Less suited for:
Urban biodiversity management
Complex naturalist data workflows and public portals
GeoNature: biodiversity information systems
GeoNature is a modular open-source biodiversity information system designed to manage fauna, flora, and habitat data across multiple protocols and organizations.
It supports the full naturalist workflow: taxonomy management, observation capture, validation, imports from partners, exports to national or international systems, and public dissemination portals. GeoNature is widely used by parks, agencies, and NGOs that need a robust, standardized biodiversity IS.
Best suited for:
Naturalist inventories and long-term monitoring
Multi-partner biodiversity data governance
Standardized biodiversity reporting and portals
Less suited for:
Real-time operational coordination
Day-to-day urban green-space management
ecoTeka: urban biodiversity and renaturation management
ecoTeka is an open-source platform designed specifically for cities and local authorities to manage biodiversity in urban and peri-urban environments.
Its focus is operational: diagnosing ecological potential, monitoring green assets, tracking renaturation actions, and producing clear indicators for decision-makers and technical teams. ecoTeka bridges ecological data with urban planning and green-space management, making biodiversity usable for non-specialist municipal agents.
ecoTeka is often used in combination with other systems rather than as a standalone biodiversity database.
Best suited for:
Urban renaturation strategies
Green-space and nature-based solution management
Biodiversity indicators for cities and territories
Less suited for:
Protected-area patrol enforcement
Purely naturalist data backends
Choosing the right platform (or stack)
There is no single “best” platform—only the one that matches your decision loop.
Real-time operations and alerts: EarthRanger
Patrol efficiency and enforcement: SMART
Naturalist data governance: GeoNature
Urban biodiversity action and indicators: ecoTeka
In many real-world projects, the most effective approach is a stacked architecture:
GeoNature as the naturalist data backbone
ecoTeka for urban operations and renaturation monitoring
SMART and/or EarthRanger for protected area operations
APIs and data pipelines to connect everything
This mirrors ecological systems themselves: specialization, interoperability, and resilience.
How Natural Solutions helps organizations manage biodiversity data
Natural Solutions supports public authorities, conservation organizations, and companies in designing, deploying, and connecting biodiversity data management platforms.
We do not promote one tool over another. Instead, we help you:
Choose the right platform(s) for your objectives
Design interoperable architectures (not data silos)
Build indicators aligned with regulations (ESRS, impact studies, local policies)
Turn biodiversity data into operational and strategic decisions
From urban renaturation to protected-area monitoring, we work at the intersection of ecology, data engineering, and decision support.
Get in touch
If you are:
Evaluating EarthRanger, SMART, GeoNature, ecoTeka, or similar platforms
Struggling to connect biodiversity data to real decisions
Designing a biodiversity monitoring or reporting system
Get in touch with Natural Solutions.
We help organizations move from data collection to ecological impact—clearly, efficiently, and at scale.
