Biodiversity - a GRI Reporting Resource - Global Reporting Initiative

3.3 How to tell the story of biodiversity
Effective reporting should communicate the
organization’s relationship with biodiversity,
its approaches to managing its impacts, and
the results achieved. Figure 3.1 identifies the
key elements to consider in reporting on
biodiversity.
Relationship with biodiversity and
ecosystem services
The starting point for telling the story on
biodiversity is the nature of the relationship
between the organization’s activities and
biodiversity. This will define the nature of
the expectations on the organization and
the resulting approaches to be implemented
and performance goals to be achieved. In
its reporting, an organization could communicate
its understanding of how its activities
affect biodiversity and, in turn, ecosystem
services. Determining the nature of this
interaction involves analyzing the ecosystem
services that are important for an organization
and its stakeholders and the biodiversity
upon which those services depend (see
Part 2 for discussion of these issues).
Perceived role and responsibilities
The second element lies in placing the
organization’s approach and performance
in the context of its perceived roles and responsibilities.
For many stakeholders, the CBD
objectives as well as other points expressed
in international agreements and national
laws will be key reference points against
which the organization can explain its
performance. In particular, an organization
should consider reporting its role and
responsibilities regarding conservation and
sustainable use of biodiversity, and fair
and equitable sharing of benefits (CBD
objectives).
Policy and management approach
When the relationship to biodiversity and
ecosystems and its role and responsibilities
have been identified, the organization can
start to report the specific policies and
management approaches that are put
in place to guide day-to-day activities. In
communicating these, an important aspect
is how they relate to an ecosystem approach
(a “strategy for the integrated management
of land, water and living resources that
promotes conservation and sustainable use
in an equitable way” 14 ).
Performance and results
The last element is to communicate
the results achieved. Reporting on an
organization’s performance in relation
to biodiversity will involve the use of
indicators, including the GRI Environmental
Performance Indicators, which specify the
common information to be reported, and
organization-specific biodiversity indicators.
For most organizations, performance will be
a combination of describing results achieved
with respect to policy goals and describing
absolute changes seen in the key areas
impacted.
Combined, the above four elements provide
an outline of the key points in telling the
story of biodiversity. The remaining section of
Part 3 provides more detail on issues faced in
reporting on management approaches and
actions and performance.
Figure 3.1: Telling the story of
biodiversity
14] Definition derived from the Convention
on Biological Diversity (CBD).
R e p o r t i n g o n B i o d i v e r s i t y
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