Approach for reporting on ecosystem services - BIP Indicators

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Sustainability Reporting Today: The Readers’ Verdictchange (due to the loss of the carbon storagefunction and the release of stored carbon intothe atmosphere) and its implications;• effect of specific waste on the pH value ofnatural water bodies and resulting impacts onwater quality and biodiversity;• extent to which an organization’s operationalpractices or products influence the spread ofinvasive species;• contribution of NO xemissions to acid rain anda description of impacts on the state of specificecosystems affected;• volume of SO xdiscussed in the context of localambient air quality and the effects of emitting acertain quantity using available data on regionalpollutant levels and dose-response functions;and• potential beneficial outcomes of a <strong>for</strong>estrestoration project <strong>for</strong> local communities (e.g.,flood regulation, water regulation, access tonon-timber <strong>for</strong>est products).To support <strong>reporting</strong>, in<strong>for</strong>mation on thecondition of ecosystems gathered by others (e.g.,government, research institutions, NGOs, andlocal experts) can be used to put in<strong>for</strong>mation intocontext (e.g., coupling water scarcity data and wateruse data).32© 2011 GRI
4. Ecosystem servicesin future GRI <strong>reporting</strong>guidanceThe landscape of sustainability <strong>reporting</strong> iscontinuously evolving. More stakeholders than ever– including regulators, investors, rating agenciesand NGOs – are asking <strong>for</strong> the non-financial (orsustainability) data which increasingly influencescompanies’ financial results.The GRI Sustainability Reporting Guidelines havefollowed this evolution closely. The general requests<strong>for</strong> <strong>reporting</strong> on such issues are summarizedin the GRI Guidelines after <strong>for</strong>mal and in<strong>for</strong>malinternational consultations with representativesfrom business, civil society and labor, but also withinvestors, consultants and experts. GRI refers tothis as an international multi-stakeholder process.The current version of the Guidelines - G3 and theexpanded G3.1 - is available <strong>for</strong> free downloadfrom the GRI website. Details of the GRI Guidelinesdevelopment are also available there.In 2011, GRI started the development of the newgeneration of the Guidelines: G4. At the beginningof 2011, surveys targeted at GRI stakeholders asked<strong>for</strong> suggested improvements to GRI’s guidance<strong>for</strong> existing <strong>reporting</strong> topics, and suggestions <strong>for</strong>new sustainability <strong>reporting</strong> topics that should beconsidered in the development of the updatedGuidelines.Not surprisingly, ecosystem services was amongthe topics suggested by respondents in the 2011surveys. This guarantees that this topic will be partof the discussions about the future of <strong>reporting</strong> onthe impacts companies’ activities have on ES 6 .As stated previously, <strong>reporting</strong> on existing GRIPer<strong>for</strong>mance Indicators may begin to indicate6Following due process, the improvements and new topics suggestedin such surveys are presented to GRI’s Technical AdvisoryCommittee <strong>for</strong> analysis. Selected topics then undergo furtherpublic exposure in order to be prioritized. Ultimately, GRI convenesmulti-stakeholder Working Groups to develop first drafts of newGuidelines content. Working Group composition is influencedby the proposals <strong>for</strong> new content. Final drafts of guidance areinfluenced once again by international public consultation, be<strong>for</strong>ebeing presented to GRI’s governance bodies, which vote <strong>for</strong> oragainst their release.the pressures, impacts and dependencies that anorganization has on ES (see Table 3). On a highlevel, GRI Environmental Indicators that requestdata on the significant environmental impacts ofproducts and services, and their transportation,may steer organizations towards a consideration ofecosystems and ES. Other GRI Indicators coveringland ownership and management ask <strong>for</strong> dataon habitats restored or protected, impacts onareas of high biodiversity value, and on strategyand plans <strong>for</strong> managing impacts on biodiversity.Indicators focused on water usage seek disclosureon sources of water withdrawal and impacts onthese sources, on amounts of recycled and reusedwater, and on the biodiversity value of water bodiesaffected by discharges. Although ecosystems arenot referenced specifically, the varied Indicatorscovering energy use and emissions may also directorganizations’ attention towards ES, by providingdata on energy consumption and efficiency, andemissions of GHGs, ozone depleting substances,and other significant air emissions.ES is clearly implicated in two GRI SectorSupplements – <strong>for</strong> the Food Processing and Miningand Metals sectors (see Annex II). Both Supplementshave amendments to their Indicators on biodiversehabitats, including water bodies being added tothe type of habitats covered in the Food ProcessingSector Supplement (FPSS). The FPSS also featuresnew content on the sourcing of raw materials. Thisincludes asking reporters to identify their mostsignificant dependencies upon ecosystems, andguidance on how to report their sourcing strategy<strong>for</strong> the sector-specific Aspects of Protecting NaturalResources, Minimizing Toxicity, Traceability, AnimalWelfare and Biofuels.Furthermore, the introduction to the Mining andMetals Sector Supplement states that biodiversityincludes ecosystems and “the goods and servicesthat they provide”, with a definition of ES addedto Indicator EN14 (Strategies, current actions, andfuture plans <strong>for</strong> managing impacts on biodiversity).<strong>Approach</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>reporting</strong> on ecosystem services– Incorporating ecosystem services into an organization’s per<strong>for</strong>mance disclosure33GRI Research andDevelopment SeriesI Research & DevelopmentTopicsReportingPractices
Page 1 and 2: opicsendsoolsGRI Research & Develop
Page 3 and 4: AcknowledgementGlobal Reporting Ini
Page 5 and 6: Table of ContentsExecutive Summary
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Page 23 and 24: to report on is quite challenging.
Page 25 and 26: y describing trends or frequency of
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