Managing Risk to Biodiversity

The report Guidelines on Business and KBAs: Managing Risk to Biodiversity was published in April 2018 by the Key Biodiversity Area Partnership involving 12 of the world’s leading conservation organisations – including the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

It outlines steps that businesses can take to actively safeguard biodiversity and avoid contributing to its loss. The authors recommend businesses of all sizes and across all sectors to adopt 15 guidelines to better manage their direct, indirect and cumulative impacts on places deemed critical for the conservation of species and ecosystems worldwide, known as Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs).

The report addresses issues such as avoidance of impacts, limits to biodiversity offsets, as well as financial guarantees and corporate reporting. It guides businesses in managing the potential losses and other risks associated with their negative impact on biodiversity, including potential impacts on access to financing and increased company exposure to negative press.

The report and associated website aims to help businesses demonstrate good environmental practice and compliance with voluntary sustainability standards or certification schemes. It also explains how companies operating in KBAs can make a positive contribution to biodiversity by investing in conservation actions and sharing with members of the Key Biodiversity Area Partnership relevant information about the KBAs, including data collected in Environmental Impact Assessments, baseline studies and monitoring activities. Its aim is to assist governments in authorisation decisions related to business operations.

(WWF/ile)

More information and download report