Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services Assessments
Biodiversity & Ecosystem Services Assessments
Experience advising on nature-based, ecologically sustainable business practices that optimize biodiversity and achieve net positive conservation outcomes consistent with international best practices and international finance performance standards. This work typically includes ecological surveys to establish baseline conditions, identify positive and potentially negative biodiversity sensitivities related to products and operations, and integrate practices that support corporate sustainability goals.
Examples of client assignments include:
- Development of a biodiversity screening tool for an energy company aimed at integrating environmental protection activities that also preserve or enhance biodiversity during the decommissioning of land-based and offshore assets at the operational end of their life cycle. This work relied heavily on GIS-based spatial data, which described indigenous species, as well as charismatic, threatened, or endangered species, various habitat types, and designated critical ecological areas.
- Ballast water and biofouling surveys for invasive species supporting safe transit certifications for vessels traveling between ports and international waters. For instance, a biofouling survey of two ‘floatel’ vessels traveling from Norway to Mozambique supporting construction work at an LNG terminal on the remote northern coast of Mozambique. Additionally, an alien invasive species (AIS) survey and biosecurity risk assessment compliant with International Ballast Water Convention guidelines and International Maritime Organization (IMO) rules for the POLAR PIONEER offshore oil exploration rig returning to Norway from the Arctic-Chukchi Sea.
- Assistance with preparing an environmental benefits analysis comparing the ecological and economic consequences of different removal options associated with the decommissioning of drill cutting piles beneath Brae Area oil production platforms in the central North Sea.
