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Biodiversity Guidance action 6.2.1
6.2.1 Identify changes in natural capital [biodiversity] associated with your business activities and impact drivers
This action considers the changes in biodiversity resulting from the impact drivers measured or estimated in Step 05. Example impact drivers resulting in changes to the state of biodiversity, and potential challenges when determining impacts on biodiversity, are described in table 6.1. Refer to the Protocol (page 68) for further detail.
Impact driver | Change in biodiversity state | Cause of change in state | Points to consider |
Pollution (kilograms of nitrates released to surface water) | Reduction in the number of species present in a given area. | Reduced oxygen levels within a waterway (river, lake, or stream) due to the input of chemicals. | Changes in biodiversity due to water pollution are location specific. The type of pollution, quality of receiving water etc., can present challenges for accurate measurement in large-scale assessments. Available modeling approaches are likely to require in-house training or consultant expertise. Water quality assessments are likely to be required on a monthly basis over a long period of time. |
Land use (hectares of natural land converted to agricultural land) | Decreased habitat availability and connectedness within a given area. | Land use transforms the amount of natural habitat available and fragments the landscape. | Changes in biodiversity due to land use need to consider the amount of area lost in combination with the loss in connectivity between available (natural) habitat. Loss in connectivity (i.e., fragmentation) can lead to a loss of habitat quality; remaining fragmented habitats may be less resilient to future environmental change or extreme events affecting the provision of ecosystem services. |
