Infrastructure Investments: Carbone 4 and Its Sponsors Launch the BIARA Framework

In recent years, the issue of biodiversity has been gaining importance. There is a growing understanding that this issue is just as critical as climate change, and that urgent action is needed to halt the loss of biodiversity; otherwise, our societies will face major risks. Awareness has grown since the December 2022 COP15 in Kunming-Montreal and the adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework, which sets global goals for the conservation of nature. In its wake, several frameworks aimed at providing a guide for corporate action on biodiversity were published in 2023, notably the TNFD and the SBTN. Overall, expectations are rising and becoming more structured, among investors, civil society, and regulators alike. Economic actors are urged to adopt a biodiversity strategy commensurate with the challenges at hand.

To this end, establishing a system for assessing and reporting on the impacts of infrastructure on biodiversity is an essential first step. Several tools exist for assessing an economic actor’s biodiversity footprint, but they are designed primarily for reporting purposes rather than for managing biodiversity issues internally.

We believe it is essential—and our sponsors share this conviction—to develop a standard that makes it possible to manage a biodiversity strategy, quantify the impact of implementing actions, and report transparently to stakeholders, including both on-the-ground actors and financial stakeholders.

The “biodiversity dashboard,” known as BIARA (Biodiversity Impacts Analytics for Real Assets), will be adaptable to all types of infrastructure, will meet the requirements of major standards, and will be published as open access. This dashboard will complement existing footprint measurement tools, particularly pressure-based indicators designed to be used for footprint calculations. Its goal is to serve as the starting point for a rigorous assessment of the issue, robust reporting, and the management of strategies to mitigate the impact of various infrastructure projects on biodiversity.

The initial work will take place in 2024 and will initially focus on solar photovoltaic power plants. This work is made possible thanks to the support of our sponsors—Econergy, Engie Green, Rivage Investment, and LTIIA—as well as our Observers, SER, and Enerplan, and our scientific committee.

▶ If you would like to participate in this work and learn more about the BIARA biodiversity dashboard we are developing for infrastructure, please contact Jean-Yves Wilmotte and Lucile Brand, who is in charge of the project at Carbone 4.