Businesses are facing increasing demands from investors, customers and governments to manage their impact on biodiversity. In the context of land use change, many stakeholders are now looking for better ways to integrate biodiversity data into their projects - with CLIMB becoming a popular tool for quantifying nature values.
Innovative biodiversity calculation with CLIMB
Since the launch of CLIMB 2023, the demand for the biodiversity calculation tool has increased. The calculation model offers a clear overview and serves as a decision support tool for land conversion and ecological restoration. Companies and organizations can use CLIMB to understand which land areas contain high nature values. This way, they can prioritize the conservation of important nature and reduce biodiversity loss locally.
3 main areas where companies use CLIMB
CLIMB is a tool used by actors in several sectors to quantify and understand how land conversion affects biodiversity. Different uses of CLIMB are presented below along with examples of actors who have implemented the model.
1. land conversion and restoration measures
For wind, solar and mining projects, it is often difficult to determine how much land is needed to compensate for the loss of nature values on site, and which measures will have the desired effect. CLIMB helps companies to quantify both current nature values and expected impacts. It provides the operator with a basis for identifying additional measures to minimize negative impacts and enhance positive effects on biodiversity. Energy companies Alight and SR Energy, railway engineering company Vossloh and mining company LKAB use CLIMB to understand and ensure that land conversion takes place with the least possible negative impact on nature.
Our aim is to design solar parks that make a positive contribution to local ecosystems. By developing our projects in line with the hierarchy of considerations and using the CLIMB tool together with Ecogain, we can ensure that we achieve a net benefit for biodiversity.
- Anna Dibble, ESG Manager at Alight.
2. Compensation studies
Several companies use CLIMB to assess the potential for increasing biodiversity in different areas through active restoration measures, as an ecological compensation for the losses that occur during land conversion in different projects. The mining company Talga has applied CLIMB to calculate restoration measures and ensure that the selected areas provide maximum effect in restoring natural values. Boliden has also used CLIMB as a calculation model at the Aitik copper mine.
The aim of Talga's offsetting measures is to compensate, as far as possible, for the natural values lost in similar natural environments in the surrounding area. The CLIMB tool allows us to both calculate the impact and ensure a net positive ecological compensation to the biodiversity where we operate.
- Christin Jonasson, Environmental Engineer at Talga.
3. property management and construction phase
Real estate developers use CLIMB to create a baseline of how much biodiversity is around the property. By planning management measures for different green spaces, the project can be designed to benefit biodiversity and calculate CLIMB units added. The tool also integrates with nature-based solutions to improve ecosystem services. Specialfastigheter is an example of a company that has tested CLIMB on one of its properties.
International comparisons
Although similar models are used in other parts of the world - for example the Biodiversity Metric in the UK and Ramboll's adaptation of the Biodiversity Metric for North and Central America - CLIMB is adapted to the Swedish nature and our standardized way of assessing nature values. Therefore, CLIMB is the method that with the highest granularity reflects the Nordic conditions and species and habitats that are relevant here in Sweden.
Standardization of biodiversity metrics on the agenda at SIS
On 6 February, over 100 participants gathered at the Swedish Institute for Standards (SIS) to discuss the possible standardization of biodiversity metrics in Sweden. During the workshop, which was characterized by insightful and forward-looking discussions, CLIMB was part of the conversation. The engagement of industry stakeholders was high, and the broad participation shows a growing willingness to create consistent and transparent methods for valuing biodiversity.
Briefly about CLIMB:
CLIMB, Changing Land use Impact on Biodiversity, is a Swedish calculation tool consisting of a calculation system with predefined formulas and values as well as a user manual with specific requirements for skills and input data. The tool is used to calculate areas ranging from square meters to thousands of hectares and allows for different levels of certainty depending on difficulty and development time. CLIMB does not assess the reasonableness of achieving objectives, does not determine additionality and does not propose specific measures. Today, CLIMB is used in land use projects across the country, and courts today refer to CLIMB results in their permit reviews.
CLIMB as a service: ecogain.se/climb | CLIMB website: climb.ecogain.se
Want to know more about how CLIMB can help your business make sustainable assessments and optimize land use in your projects?
