IUCN NL publishes report on biodiversity measurement

Biodiversity footprinting is expected to become a core element of business and government action in the years to come. IUCN NL just published the report: ‘A Compass for Navigating the World of Biodiversity Footprinting Tools’ that guides its readers through the world of biodiversity impact measurement.

A key natural resource base

Biodiversity is fundamental for sustaining living conditions on Earth. It contributes to the maintenance and delivery of critical ecosystem services and forms a key natural resource base upon which our economies, societies and indeed many businesses depend.

1 million species threatened with extinction

According to the IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services around 1 million estimated animal and plant species are currently threatened with extinction, more than ever before in human history. Swift, significant and coordinated responses are called for so that we can reconcile human development and well-being within the natural limits of the Earth.

A material impact on companies

There is increasing evidence that ongoing ecosystem degradation has a material impact on companies – undermining performance, profits, their license to operate and access to new markets. Today many companies – big and small – are starting to track their performance to halt biodiversity loss, and looking into how they can make a positive contribution to restoration.

A compass for biodiversity footprinting tools

IUCN NL’s recently published report acts as a compass to help its readers navigate through the terrain of biodiversity footprinting tools. The primary intended audiences of this document are Dutch businesses interested in understanding biodiversity footprinting and its practical applications in company decision making, as well as policy makers in the Netherlands interested in stimulating and accompanying this process.

Measuring businesses impact on biodiversity

Through a series of questions the report guides and informs the reader around key questions, for example: How can businesses measure their impact on biodiversity? And how can the government steer and promote business to report on their biodiversity impact in the light of the international agenda, especially the CBD CoP in Kunming, China? And how have developments in the Netherlands helped shape this global movement?