News

If you missed any of the webinars on biodiversity data the B@B Platform organised in October, you can now watch the recordings of the entire series on YouTube. This webinar series provides an overview of recent developments in the field of biodiversity data for businesses and financial institutions. The three first webinars present examples of currently available and well-performing data sources on biodiversity impacts and dependencies, as well as innovative and promising biodiversity data collection techniques. Each of the webinars includes concrete examples on how businesses have applied biodiversity data. The final webinar focuses on remaining challenges and invites businesses to participate in a debate on how the accessibility, infrastructure and quality of data can be improved.

In 2021, the Finance@Biodiversity Community has focused its collective learning and experience sharing on the subject of ‘Engagement with companies’. This covers both the engagement of investors with publicly listed companies, and the engagement of banks with their clients. The F@B Community developed four workshops together with its members, in response to their needs, and it is now developing a guidance paper based on the workshops. The preliminary results are already available in the official minutes for each session.

The Commission proposed new rules to curb EU-driven deforestation, and facilitate intra-EU waste shipments. It also presents a new Soil strategy to have all European soils restored, resilient, and adequately protected by 2050.

The Transparent project is developing a standardized natural capital accounting and valuation methodology that provides decision-makers with the information to generate long-term value and to improve business resilience and an overview of impacts and dependencies of businesses on the environment, communities and society. The project is now looking for businesses to pilot the methodology. Piloting businesses will be supported by the Transparent team and will gain insights into their impacts and dependencies on natural capital and how this information can inform decision-making processes.

Minister of State for Heritage Malcolm Noonan TD and Minister of State for Land-Use and Biodiversity Senator Pippa Hackett have announced joint departmental backing for a national Business and Biodiversity Platform to help the private sector take practical, measurable actions to address the biodiversity crisis.

The Finance and Biodiversity Community (F@B Community) and workstream Methods, both part of the EU Business@Biodiversity Platform, and the Finance for Biodiversity Foundation have prepared the next quarterly update of the "Finance for Biodiversity: Guide on biodiversity measurement approaches." The guide provides a comprehensive overview of the six tools for measuring biodiversity currently in use by financial institutions: CBF, BFFI, STAR, GBSFI, BIA and ENCORE.

Climate change and anthropogenic pressures are widely expected to exacerbate hazards such as coastal flooding. One process that could contribute to this is overtopping which occurs when the extreme coastal water level exceeds the maximum elevation of the coastal system (such as dunes, dykes or cliffs). A new global analysis — using satellite-derived models of coastlines — estimates that under a high emissions scenario, the incidence of overtopping, globally, will accelerate faster than the global mean sea-level.Click here to read more

Increasing resource efficiency in the construction industry, in line with circular economy principles, could greatly reduce waste and increase sustainability. Focusing on bridges — often demolished when requirements change — this study presents a way to rate the circularity of different design options. The new framework could help decision making at the procurement stage of infrastructure projects.Click here to read more

The yellow-legged Asian hornet (Vespa velutina nigrithorax) is an invasive species that poses a particular threat to the European honey bee (Apis mellifera). This study reports on the management of Asian hornet incursions in the UK, including the use of nest dissection and microsatellite marker analysis (a form of genetic testing) to determine the relatedness and reproductive status of detected nests and hornets. Click here to read more

Pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors increasingly contaminate the world’s freshwaters. New research provides direct evidence of their transfer from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems via the consumption of aquatic insects by terrestrial predators such as spiders, birds and bats. This exposure may have negative impacts on the physiology and population dynamics of predators, suggesting a need for improved risk-assessment guidelines and practices. Click here to read more

Night-time light pollution from artificial sources can disrupt biological processes and fragment habitats. This study presents a new concept for addressing the problem: a 'dark ecological network'. Its development involves mapping a new system of connected functional zones and corridors where dark can be preserved to help birds, bats and other taxa, and gives people the chance to experience starry skies. Click here to read more

Agricultural packaging impacts the environmental performance of food. This study compares the carbon footprint (CF), of two commonly used containers for international road transport of fruit and vegetables. The study assesses corrugated cardboard boxes (CCB) and polypropylene foldable boxes (PPB) in two different sizes, for a cradle-to-grave assessment of their environmental performance when used to transport tomatoes from Spain to Germany. Click here to read more

Thanks to Barclays for inviting Emmanuelle Maire, Head of Unit responsible for circular economy and green growth at the European Commission (DG ENV), to join a virtual panel on the topic of circularity in construction on 29 September. Emmanuelle addressed 58 investors from global institutions on why circularity in buildings matters and its role in carbon reduction targets.

The European Commission has highlighted Level(s) within its recent Communication setting out the funding and policy actions that will deliver the New European Bauhaus initiative. The Communication, published as part of President Ursula von der Leyen’s State of the European Union address on 15 September, details how the EU will deliver its vision for creating beautiful, sustainable and inclusive places, products and ways of living. The Communication contains a specific promise on page 16 to create new 'digital tools for e-learning and assessment to support the use of the Level(s) framework.’ Watch this space for more details on those! Read more.

Th EU Business@Biodiversity Platform will host a webinar series in October exploring different aspects of biodiversity data. Despite the huge demand from businesses and finance institutions for more clarity on biodiversity data that are suitable for use in a business context, relatively limited guidance is available. The first webinar on 12 October will focus on IBAT and ENCORE, two key biodiversity data sources for screening purposes.