BOREALIS
BIODIVERSITY
Solution
Management
MORE INFO
Repository
MORE INFO
Registers
MORE INFO
Biodiversity
Module
The BOREALIS BIODIVERSITY SOLUTION offers companies practical support in order to help them comply with the commitments defined in their biodiversity strategy. It is not only a useful means of identifying biodiversity risks and opportunities, but also an efficient monitoring tool throughout the entire life cycle of a project.
Notably, the module creates a central repository of plant and animal species, enables the identification of vulnerable species, classifies species in a hierarchy, and facilitates environmental reporting on biodiversity Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).
The module also stores information about conservation and protection status as defined by national and international agencies (CITES, IUCN, national regulatory authorities, etc.).
- Analyze biodiversity data from multiple perspectives (season, conservation status, etc.)
- Centralize knowledge of species and their protection status in a
single repository - Manage the geographic dimension of biological data
- Measure biodiversity through several KPIs
- Track success of offset programs and conservation initiatives
- Create biodiversity reports for lenders and regulatory authorities
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity is a term used to describe the scope of life on earth, ranging from animal species to genes and ecosystems. More specifically, the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) defines biodiversity as: "The variability among living organisms from all sources including inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems." In short, biodiversity sustains human livelihoods and life itself.
Why is it important to address this issue?
A concern for biodiversity makes sense for companies in the extractive sector since their operations have a significant impact on land, air, water, flora, and fauna. Companies need to address biodiversity for a variety of reasons. It is a particularly important issue to take into account at the initial stages of project development, when accessing undisturbed land, or when further exploration is needed to extend the lifetime of existing projects. A good biodiversity management plan can build trust and confidence with local communities or other stakeholders and thereby facilitate the social acceptance of the project. As a result, an increasing number of mining and oil and gas companies have become more sophisticated their approach to managing biodiversity as part of their commitments to establishing and maintaining a social "licence to operate."
The three components of the Borealis Biodiversity Solution:
Species Repository
The species repository centralizes scientific knowledge of species in a single repository, allows a hierarchical classification of species according to taxonomy, and contains a range of useful information, including:
- Conservation priority for the project (endemic, endangered, threatened, etc.)
- Conservation/protection status according to national or international agencies
(CITES, IUCN, EPA, etc.) - Description of species usage by local communities (food, medicine, income, etc.)
- Endemism (uniqueness to a defined geographic location)
- Other characteristics such as ecological niche, social organization, etc.
Zone Management
The Zone Management component enables the management of the project's different ecological zones, as well as the vegetation units affected by the project. It allows users to:
- Define the project area
- Register vegetation units and their characteristics
- Account for flexible multilevel zoning
- Define a multilevel spatial sampling schema
Biodiversity Registers
Biodiversity registers provide tools to store and retrieve data collected for baseline studies, monitoring campaigns and salvaging of species. They contain valuable information for biodiversity assessments.
This component offers baselines for Flora and Fauna and allows users to accomplish the following tasks:
- Keep track of baseline, monitoring and salvaging campaigns
- Manage KPIs associated with biodiversity registers
- Link species with the project's priority zones
- Register and monitor both individuals and groups within a species' population
Reporting
A variety of reports related to the biodiversity module can be created, with multiple filters and export formats available depending on the required information:
- Species Report: Provides characteristics of a species such as its taxonomy, level of protection, the zones where it has been found, and how it is used by local communities.
- Species Overview: Provides an overview of species by protection status according to project priority, international and national regulations.
- Baseline – Monitoring Overview (Flora and Fauna): Provides an overview of the abundance, endemism, diversity or taxonomy of flora and fauna.
- Salvaging Overview: Provides an overview species of concern that have been salvaged and their KPIs.
- Activity Management Overview: Provides details on a specific activity by generating KPIs.
- Individual and Group Monitoring Overview: Provides details of individuals or groups monitored and their KPIs.
Compliance with biodiversity standards and guidelines
The Borealis biodiversity solution facilitates a company's adherence to a variety of existing standards and guidelines specifically related to biodiversity, such as:
- BBOP (Business and Biodiversity Offsets Program): a partnership between companies, governments and conservation experts to explore biodiversity offsets. More info
- CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora): Its aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival.
More info - ICMM Principle 7: Contributes to conservation of biodiversity and integrated approaches to land use planning. More info
- IFC Performance Standard 6: The lending standard adopted by the International Finance Corporation that addresses Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Natural Resource Management. More info
- IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature): The organization that supports scientific research, manages field projects all over the world, and brings governments, non-governmental organizations, United Nations agencies, companies and local communities together to develop and implement policy, laws, and best practice. More info
A specific Compliance Management module is also available to manage environmental commitments, audits, field verifications and corrective actions.
