Biodiversity - a GRI Reporting Resource - Global Reporting Initiative

3.5 Measurement in practice
GATHERING INFORMATION
The assessment of biodiversity value, the
assessment of impacts on biodiversity,
and the challenges of tracing impacts,
are discussed below in relation to the
information gathering processes used by
reporting organizations.
Assessment of biodiversity value
Assessing the biodiversity value of an area
and the value of biodiversity and ecosystem
services for stakeholders is a complex task.
In the end, the value that is attributed to
ecosystem services in a specific area will
depend on the stakeholders involved (e.g.,
government, NGOs, local communities,
research institutes). Based on the determined
value, stakeholders can decide whether or
not a particular impact on biodiversity is
acceptable.
The biodiversity value of an area is linked to
factors such as:
• the degradation level of the area (e.g.,
pristine forest versus production forest)
• species variety and abundance; and
• the ecosystem services the area provides,
including ecological services (e.g., key
habitat for migratory birds).
Considering the diversity of ecosystems in
which the organization and the different
supply chain partners are likely to operate,
assessing the value of biodiversity in
areas directly and indirectly affected by
an organization’s operations may require
substantial effort. Moreover, simple tools
that ‘just’ collect biodiversity data do not
exist. Only a few aspects of biodiversity can
be measured quantitatively, including:
• trends in species variety and abundance;
• the level of genetic variety of biodiversity
resources used in the supply chain; and
• the number of hectares in areas with a high
biodiversity value located within or adjacent
to production sites.
This challenges organizations to be creative in
obtaining quantitative data and then finding
ways to interpret the data collected. Expert
advice on data collection methods and tools
may be sought from nature conservation
organizations or local ecologists.
Assessment of biodiversity impacts
When do an organization’s activities affect
biodiversity? How can an organization assess
the extent of the impact?
Reporting on direct and indirect impacts
on biodiversity presumes the reporting
organization has knowledge of the changes
to biodiversity that have occurred throughout
its supply chain(s). It is generally easier
for an organization to control and measure
direct impacts resulting from an organization’s
own activities than to gather data
about indirect impacts on biodiversity further
down the supply chain.
A large number of assessment instruments
have been developed to assist organizations
in collecting data for organizational
management and reporting. Drawing on
guidance from the CBD, Annex V provides
extensive information on how biodiversity
can be integrated into Environmental
Impact Assessments (EIA).
It may be difficult for an organization to
thoroughly assess and report on all biodiversity
impacts arising in its supply chain(s).
One alternative is to monitor production
processes known to have a risk for significantly
impacting biodiversity, and to monitor
production areas known to be sensitive to
impacts or to have high conservation value.
Here, stakeholder input can support for the
choices an organization makes about which
sites to monitor. In addition, assessing the
biodiversity value of a particular location
might require expert knowledge.
Box 5. Example of assessing
biodiversity
One way to gather data on the level
of biodiversity within and around
production sites is to select a number
of indicator species or key habitats. The
data gathered would then need to be
analyzed: Have key species benefited
from a new management approach to
biodiversity? How can the degradation
in key habitats be explained?
An organization could decide to report
on:
• the criteria used to support the
selection;
• the results of the data;
• the experts and local stakeholders
involved in assessing the value of
biodiversity; and
• the nature of their participation.
R e p o r t i n g o n B i o d i v e r s i t y
29