Biodiversity Offsets: A User Guide provides information on whether, when, and how to prepare and implement biodiversity offsets for large-scale, private, and public sector development projects. It also provides guidance on how to develop national biodiversity offset systems.
The guide includes case studies of two private sector mining projects in Liberia and Madagascar and one hydropower project in Cameroon to show readers how biodiversity offsets projects can be implemented effectively on the ground. The intended audience for this guide includes conservation and development practitioners, government agencies, extractive industries and other firms, conservation non-governmental organizations, environmental impact assessment specialists, and anyone with an interest in development projects and biodiversity conservation.
Managing the tradeoffs between development and conservation is often a challenge. Economic activities such as agricultural expansion, mining, dams, and urban expansion have negative impacts on forest ecosystems and biodiversity. A biodiversity offset is one way to address such tradeoffs through planning decisions centered around minimizing losses, eliminating losses, and creating benefits. This guide shows how to implement biodiversity offsets and develop national biodiversity offset systems.
Special capacity is not needed.
The tool requires an experienced forester to help a client with its implementation, and this expertise should be easily available. The World Bank can provide additional support and guidance.
The tool is applied through a sequence of three steps. The guide provides systematic and detailed instructions, including checklists, on completing each step. The tool is easy to apply and can be customized to take account of a country's specific context.
The guide helps address the tradeoffs between conservation and development and can inform larger projects. It is especially relevant to projects focused on mitigating the impacts of agricultural expansion, mining, and infrastructure development. Step 3 of the tool provides detailed guidance on designing and incorporating a biodiversity offset into a project.
The guide discusses and provides detailed information on how to monitor results during implementation.