A Review of Biodiversity Conservation Performance Measures
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A REVIEW OF BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PERFORMANCE MEASURES ……….. November 2005 ……….. Earthwatch Institute (Europe) 267 Banbury Rd Oxford OX2 7HT UK www.earthwatch.org Prepared by Dr Graham Tucker BSc MSc PhD MIEEM Ecological Solutions 5 Rosenthal Terrace Hemingford Grey Huntingdon PE28 9BL UK www.ecological-solutions.co.uk FOREWORD This report, ‘A Review of Biodiversity Conservation Performance Measures’, is offered to the CBD Secretariat in response to their request to submit information on initiatives that develop and consolidate indicators on sustainable use of biodiversity for consideration by the Conference of Parties 8th meeting in Brazil, March 2006 (CBD ref: SCBD/SEL/ML/MR/52093). The report arose from the recognition that when the business risks associated with impacts on biodiversity are taken into account, there are business benefits. It also acknowledges the growing awareness that conservation organisations need to become more accountable for their conservation outcomes to funding bodies, other stakeholders and society in general. In response to these developments Earthwatch Institute and Rio Tinto established a project to identify and develop performance measures to evaluate the outcomes and impacts of conservation efforts for the sustainable management of biodiversity – particular within the context of Earthwatch’s and Rio Tinto’s site related activities. This, the resulting report, summarises and reviews the key considerations in biodiversity conservation performance measurement, describes the principal systems that have been proposed, the advantages and disadvantages of these and identifies further actions that could be taken by businesses and conservation organisations to develop biodiversity conservation performance monitoring systems. Dr Roger Mitchell Chief Scientist, Earthwatch Institute, Oxford, UK www.earthwatch.org January 2006 A review of biodiversity conservation performance measures A REVIEW OF BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PERFORMANCE MEASURES ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................... 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................ 6 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................. 8 1.1 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ............................................................ 8 1.1.1 Overall goal of the project and objectives ........................................................... 8 1.1.2 Structure of this report......................................................................................... 9 1.2 BACKGROUND....................................................................................................... 9 1.2.1 The need for biodiversity conservation across all sectors................................... 9 1.2.2 The need for biodiversity accounting and conservation performance measurements ............................................................................................................... 20 2 KEY CONSIDERATIONS IN BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT .................................................................................................................. 24 2.1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................... 24 2.2 WHY DO WE NEED TO MEASURE BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PERFORMANCE? ............................................................................................................ 24 2.3 WHAT IS TO BE MEASURED? ............................................................................ 25 2.3.1 Biodiversity objectives ....................................................................................... 25 2.3.2 Indirect and direct biodiversity measures .......................................................... 27 2.3.3 Indicators........................................................................................................... 30 2.4 WHERE ARE MEASUREMENTS TO TAKE PLACE? .......................................... 32 2.5 WHEN ARE MEASUREMENTS TO TAKE PLACE? ............................................ 33 2.6 HOW ARE MEASUREMENTS TO BE MADE AND BY WHOM? ......................... 33 3 APPROACHES, GUIDELINES AND PROPOSED INDICATORS ..................................... 36 3.1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................... 36 3.2 GENERIC INDICATORS....................................................................................... 42 3.2.1 The Global Reporting Initiative guidelines......................................................... 42 3.2.2 International Council for Mining and Metals good practice guidance ................ 43 3.2.3 Criteria and indicators for the conservation and sustainable management of temperate and boreal forests......................................................................................... 44 3.2.4 Conservation International’s Outcome Indicators.............................................. 45 3.2.5 Foundations of Success Strategic Indicators Selection System (StratISS)....... 45 3.3 CONSERVATION PROCESS (RESPONSE) PERFORMANCE INDICATORS ... 48 3.3.1 The Environment Index of Corporate Environmental Engagement................... 48 3.3.2 The Australian Benchmarking Biodiversity Conservation Framework............... 48 3.3.3 The Nature Conservancy scorecards................................................................ 49 - 3 - A review of biodiversity conservation performance measures 3.3.4 World Bank / WWF scorecard for protected areas............................................ 49 3.3.5 Conservation Measures Partnership audits ...................................................... 50 3.4 OBJECTIVE SPECIFIC MEASURES OF PERFORMANCE................................. 50 3.4.1 Logical Frameworks .......................................................................................... 50 3.4.2 Energy and Biodiversity Initiative ...................................................................... 52 3.4.3 The World Commission on Protected Areas framework for assessing management effectiveness of protected areas.............................................................. 53 3.4.4 World Bank guidelines for monitoring and evaluation for biodiversity projects.. 56 3.4.5 The Nature Conservancy’s Conservation Action Planning system ................... 57 3.4.6 Conservation Measures Partnership (CMP) Open Standards (CMP 2004) ...... 60 3.4.7 UK Statutory Common Standards Monitoring ................................................... 62 3.4.8 Threat Reduction Assessments ........................................................................ 63 3.4.9 ISO 14301 Environmental Performance Evaluation.......................................... 64 4 CONCLUSIONS................................................................................................................. 64 4.1 SUMMARY OF THE ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF THE KEY APPROACHES FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT .............................................................................................................. 64 4.2 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION ................................. 65 4.2.1 Generic issues and requirements...................................................................... 65 4.2.2 Corporate reporting on net biodiversity impacts................................................ 66 4.2.3 NGO reporting on conservation project performance........................................ 68 5 REFERENCES .................................................................................................................. 69 6 GLOSSARY AND ACRONYMS......................................................................................... 73 APPENDICES....................................................................................................................... 75 APPENDIX 1. INDICATORS AND POTENTIAL MEASURES FOR ASSESSING PROGRESS TOWARDS THE 2010 BIODIVERSITY TARGET........................................ 75 APPENDIX 2. COMPANIES THAT REPORT ON BIODIVERSITY AMONGST EARTHWATCH CERG MEMBERS AND THE TOP 100 OF THE COMPANIES THAT COUNT 2005 DTI LIST ..................................................................................................... 77 - 4 - A review of biodiversity conservation performance measures ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was prepared under contract by Graham Tucker (Ecological Solutions), commissioned by Earthwatch Institute (Europe) and funded by Rio Tinto. The project was managed by Jo Zaremba and Roger Mitchell and the analysis of current corporate reporting was carried out by Helen Ferguson and Joanna Watkins – all of Earthwatch Institute (Europe). The report author (Graham Tucker) and the Earthwatch Institute (Europe) wish to acknowledge the input to the preparation of this report by a number of people who attended workshops or provided information and comments during the drafting stages:- Stuart Anstee, Sarah Basden, Tom Burke, Dominique Cagnetta, John Hall, Pete Ladman, Mick Lovelly, Dave Richards and Tatiana Faroukhians (Rio Tinto). Rob Brett and Annelisa Grigg (FFI) Leon Bennun, Jonathan Ekstrom, Jonathan Stacey and Alison Stattersfield (Bird Life International) Ken Norris (Centre for Agri-environment Research, Reading University) Marielle Canter and Bambi Semroc (Conservation International) Jonathan Bailey