1、Guidance on biodiversity cumulative impact assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructureLeon Bennun,Claire Fletcher,Aonghais Cook,David Wilson,Ben Jobson,RachelAsante-Owusu,Annie Dakmejian,Qiulin LiuINTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATUREAbout IUCNIUCN is a membersh

2、ip Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations.It provides public,private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress,economic development and nature conservation to take place together.Created in 1948,IUCN is now the worl

3、ds largest and most diverse environmental network,harnessing the knowledge,resources and reach of more than 1,400 Member organisations and some 16,000 experts.It is a leading provider of conservation data,assessments and analysis.Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and tr

4、usted repository of best practices,tools and international standards.IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments,NGOs,scientists,businesses,local communities,Indigenous Peoples Organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to enviro

5、nmental challenges and achieve sustainable development.Working with many partners and supporters,IUCN implements a large and diverse portfolio of conservation projects worldwide.Combining the latest science with the traditional knowledge of local communities,these projects work to reverse habitat lo

6、ss,restore ecosystems and improve peoples well-being.www.iucn.org https:/ The Biodiversity ConsultancyThe Biodiversity Consultancy is a specialist consultancy in biodiversity risk management.We work with sector-leading clients to integrate nature into business decision-making and design practical en

7、vironmental solutions that deliver nature-positive outcomes.We provide technical and policy expertise to manage biodiversity impacts at a project level and enable purpose-driven companies to create on-the-ground opportunities to regenerate our natural environment.As strategic advisor to some of the

8、worlds largest companies,we lead the development of post-2020 corporate strategies,biodiversity metrics,science-based targets,and sustainable supply chains.Our expertise is applied across the renewable energy sector,including hydropower,solar,wind,and geothermal,where we specialise in the interpreta

9、tion and application of international finance safeguards.https:/ https:/ on biodiversity cumulative impact assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructureLeon Bennun,Claire Fletcher,Aonghais Cook,David Wilson,Ben Jobson,RachelAsante-Owusu,Annie Dakmejian,Qiulin LiuThe design

10、ation of geographical entities in this publication,and the presentation of the material,do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IUCN or other participating organisations concerning the legal status of any country,territory,or area,or of its authorities,or concerning the

11、delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of IUCN or other participating organisations.IUCN is pleased to acknowledge the support of its Framework Partners who provide core funding:Ministry of Foreign Affairs,Denmark;Ministry

12、 for Foreign Affairs,Finland;Government of France and the French Development Agency(AFD);Ministry of Environment,Republic of Korea;Ministry of the Environment,Climate and Sustainable Development,Grand Duchy of Luxembourg;the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation(Norad);the Swedish Internation

13、al Development Cooperation Agency(Sida);the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation(SDC);and the United States Department of State.This publication has been made possible in part by funding from EDF Renouvelables,lectricit de France(EDF),Energias de Portugal(EDP),Eni S.p.A,Equinor ASA,Iberdrola

14、 Renovables International SAU,Shell International Petroleum Mij Bv Holland,and Total SE.Published by:IUCN,Gland,Switzerland and The Biodiversity Consultancy,Cambridge,UK Produced by:IUCN Global Climate Change and Energy Transition Team and The Biodiversity Consultancy Copyright:2024 IUCN,Internation

15、al Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorised without prior written permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged.Reproduction of this publication for resale o

16、r other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder.Recommended citation:Bennun,L.,Fletcher,C.,Cook,A.,Wilson,D.,Jobson,B.,Asante-Owusu,R.,Dakmejian,A.,Liu,Q.(2024).Guidance on biodiversity cumulative impact assessment for wind and solar developments an

17、d associated infrastructure.Gland,Switzerland:IUCN,and Cambridge,UK:The Biodiversity Consultancy ISBN:978-2-8317-2317-4(PDF)DOI:https:/doi.org/10.2305/EHGE6100 Copy-editing and layout:Diwata HunzikerCover photo:Fishers working near wind turbines/Tran Le TuanGuidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact

18、 Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructureiiiList of boxes,figures,and tables vExecutive summary viAcknowledgements xAcronyms xiGlossary xii1 Introduction 1 1.1 The renewable energy transition 1 1.2 Terminology 4 1.3 The importance of cumulative impacts for wind and so

19、lar development 7 2 About this guidance 11 2.1 Scope 12 2.2 Intended users 12 3 Practical steps for cumulative impact assessment 14 3.1 Government-led cumulative impact assessment 14 3.2 Project-led cumulative impact assessment 16 3.3 Key steps 18 3.3.1 Set spatial and temporal boundaries for cumula

20、tive impact assessment 18 3.3.2 Identify valued environmental components 19 3.3.3 Determine valued environmental components trends,targets,and thresholds 21 3.3.4 Define approach to apportioning allowable impacts on valued environmental components amongst future projects 26 3.3.5 Stakeholder engagem

21、ent 26 3.3.6 Data sharing and dissemination 274 Technical methods supporting threshold setting 28 4.1 Species distribution modelling and assessment of connectivity 28 4.2 Environmental laws and policies considering human migrations 28 4.3 Potential biological removal 30 4.4 Population viability anal

22、ysis and PVA-based metrics 31 4.4.1 Matrix models 31 4.4.2 Integrated habitat and population models 31 4.4.3 Agent-based models 32 4.5 Emerging approaches supporting cumulative impact assessment 32 4.5.1 Risk-based approaches 32 4.5.2 Network analysis 33Table of contentsivGuidance on biodiversity Cu

23、mulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructure5 Case studies 34Case study 1 EU Habitats Directive and in-combination assessment 34Case study 2 Greater Wash wind farms 36Case study 3 The landscape scale vulture conservation The strategic environmental assessm

24、ent for wind energy and biodiversity in Kenya 37Case study 4 Black harrier,population viability analysis,and implications for wind farm management in South Africa 38Case study 5 Semi-quantitative risk assessment for cumulative impact assessment 38Case study 6 Shaping a greener tomorrow Cumulative im

25、pact assessment guidance for wind and solar developments in the Northern Cape,South Africa 42Case study 7 Cumulative effects assessment of Tafila Region wind power projects 43 References 45Annexes 61Annex I Definitions from existing literature 61Annex II Mitigating biodiversity impacts associated wi

26、th solar and wind energy development 64Annex III Key biodiversity features and potential cumulative impacts to consider for wind and solar development 66 Annex III-A Key potential cumulative impacts on biodiversity from wind,solar,and transmission infrastructure 67 Annex III-B Solar 68 Annex III-C O

27、nshore wind 68 Annex III-D Offshore wind 69 Annex III-E Associated infrastructure 70Annex IV Existing guidance and approaches for cumulative impact assessment 72Annex V Opportunities for streamlining renewable energy planning and permitting 79Annex VI Practical challenges for implementing cumulative

28、 impact assessment 81Guidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructurevBox 1 Global goals for biodiversity 2Box 2 Relationship between Cumulative Impact Assessment and strategic spatial planning and assessment 5Box 3 The emerging repo

29、rting and disclosure landscapes 6Box 4 Enabling actions for cumulative impact assessment 15Box 5 Valued environmental components(VECs)20Box 6 The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework as a basis for Valued Environmental Components target-setting 22Box 7 Examples of good practice approaches

30、to strategic threshold setting 25Box 8 Examples of guidance for project-level CIA for renewable energy development 75Box 9 IFC Good Practice Handbook Rapid cumulative impact assessment approach 78Figure 1 Overarching existing spatial planning processes and key technical component assessments 5Figure

31、 2 Practical approach to government-led cumulative impact assessment 15Figure 3 Project approach to cumulative impact assessment where a government-led cumulative impact assessment is available 17Figure 4 Project approach to cumulative impact assessment where a government-led cumulative impact asses

32、sment is not available 17Figure 5 Broad categories of ecosystem valued environmental components 23Figure 6 Broad categories of species with valued environmental components 23Figure 7 Cumulative(additive)impact from installation and operational wind farm activities on ecosystem components of the Nort

33、h Sea 40Figure 8 Graphical abstract for the cumulative impact assessment 41Figure 9 The renewable energy development concentrations 43Figure 10 Tafila Region Wind Power Projects Cumulative Effects Assessment study area 44Figure 11 The mitigation hierarchy 65Figure 12 Key potential cumulative impacts

34、 on biodiversity from wind and solar and transmission infrastructure 68Figure 13 General approach to cumulative impact assessment 74Figure 14 Rapid cumulative impact assessment six-step process 79Table 1 Challenges for implementing Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar development 8Table 2

35、 Examples of general Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework-aligned targets for species and ecosystems 22Table 3 Summary of technical approaches to threshold setting 29Table 4 Metrics and relevant assessment variables for the components of environmental risk(exposure,effect and recovery),for

36、 two examples of valued environmental components-pressure combinations 33Table 5 Summary of existing definitions from literature,standards,regulations,and policies 61Table 6 Summary of some practical challenges associated with Cumulative Impact Assessment 83List of boxes,figures and tablesviGuidance

37、 on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructureExecutive summary The stringent Paris Agreement target of limiting global warming to 2C above pre-industrial levels by 2050 emphasises the necessity of urgent,rapid,and extensive renewable ener

38、gy adoption to achieve this goal.In parallel,the recently adopted Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework(KMGBF)has the overall vision of achieving full recovery of nature by 2050,and by 2030 aims to halt and reverse biodiversity loss to sustain a healthy planet,whilst delivering benefits ess

39、ential for human well-being and economic prosperity for all people.These two intertwined global goals highlight that the transition to low-carbon energy cannot occur in isolation,nor in a vacuum achieving them both requires combining efforts to reduce greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions with biodiversity c

40、onservation and ensuring they are mutually beneficial.As wind and solar energy projects proliferate worldwide,policy makers,practitioners,and conservationists alike are recognising the need for timely strategic planning to inform licensing and regulatory systems and conservation approaches,and which

41、 can respond to the accelerating pace of the renewable energy transition.Key to this is balancing the reduction of GHG emissions with the need to minimise local biodiversity and human well-being impacts.The pace of the energy transition will require the renewable energy sector to both maximise devel

42、opment in current areas of favourable wind and solar resource and expand into many new areas.Competition for suitable and available areas will thus increase.Understanding cumulative impacts is therefore an important part of informing strategic,coherent,and efficient collective approaches to mitigati

43、on and ecological compensation.This includes spatial planning to support informed decisions about energy policies and the allocation and sustainable use of the available space(both on land and in the coastal/marine realm)and informing the potential trade-offs that might be necessary to support inclu

44、sive planning and a managed energy transition.This relates not only to project-level objectives and mitigation efforts,but also to achieving global and jurisdictional goals and targets for nature.Cumulative impacts on biodiversity represent some of the most complex and urgent environmental,social,te

45、chnical,and governance issues of today,which raise significant challenges at a cumulative scale as the renewable energy industry undergoes a rapid global expansion.Implementation remains problematic in practice,for practical reasons including(but not limited to):i)the frequent absence of government-

46、led strategic planning and assessment(including absence of conservation targets and thresholds);ii)poor integration of cumulative impact assessment(CIA)into project environmental and social impact assessment(ESIA)and approvals processes;iii)lack of standardised methods for assessing cumulative impac

47、ts;iv)data availability and access to information(including data and information collected through monitoring at sites under construction and in the operational phase);v)and handling uncertainty.Conceptually,a fundamental challenge for CIA is that it is commonly implemented as an element of impact a

48、ssessment and is framed in terms of damage limitation,or defining what constitutes acceptable loss of biodiversity(i.e.how many of a species,or what extent of an ecosystem).This approach is now misaligned with global biodiversity goals(e.g.KMGBF)and jurisdictional targets,which are increasingly aspi

49、rational and framed around recovery and restoration.These commonly encountered practical and conceptual barriers can prevent or hinder the assessment of cumulative impacts,and they are often exacerbated in emerging market Guidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar devel

50、opments and associated infrastructureviicontexts where enabling policy and regulations are emerging or yet to be developed.From the perspective of conservation and biodiversity outcomes,these challenges will become even more significant as wind and solar development scales up in countries and region

51、s with emerging regulatory oversight and/or a limited biodiversity information base.Thus,a key aim of this guidance is to reframe CIA to help support biodiversity conservation and the achievement of global biodiversity goals(alongside climate and other societal development goals).This guidance is fo

52、cused on biodiversity and wind and solar development,and is aimed primarily at government planners and project developers.However,since it is designed to help tackle some of the existing challenges of CIA,there is potentially broader applicability.It complements existing guidance on CIA by:X outlini

53、ng pragmatic and scalable approaches to implementation of CIA by government planners responsible for the renewable energy transition,and by wind and solar energy project developers,that:are aligned with existing good practice(such as the mitigation hierarchy),whilst recognising that the timeframe to

54、 meet global and national climate targets is short;show how the requirement for individual developers to assess multiple other projects or activities can be avoided;and show how CIA can be better integrated into project-level ESIA,and what developers can do when there is not a government-level CIA t

55、o draw on.X facilitating an entry point for government-led CIA,showing how CIA can be approached even in data-poor contexts where the available biodiversity baseline information remains limited,especially where regulatory requirements are still emerging,and/or resources and capacity are limited(agai

56、n recognising the urgency with respect to the transition);X signposting emerging technical methods which show promise for improving CIA in wind and solar contexts,which governments and project developers may consider trialling or improving further.X summarising the key biodiversity features where cu

57、mulative impact are likely to have the greatest effect,and so likely to be a focus of a CIA for wind and solar development and transmission infrastructure;and X highlighting priority areas that still need improvement either through technical development or regional-or sector-scale collaboration.The

58、document outlines approaches for:X government-led CIA:an approach for government planners to carry out at the appropriate strategic(e.g.national or regional)scale.X project-level CIA:approaches for developers of wind and solar projects and associated infrastructure to undertake at the individual pro

59、ject level one when there is a government-led CIA available to draw on,and a fallback approach when there is not.These two scales are intrinsically linked.Ideally,the government-led CIA provides the framework within which project-level CIA is implemented.As part of this,government can establish guid

60、ing principles and minimum standards for CIA,including requirements viiiGuidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructurefor stakeholder engagement,technical methods,and data sharing between projects.Project level CIA,can then help fi

61、ll any gaps in government-led CIA,leading to incremental improvements in it.Lenders and investors could also benefit from the information and practical approaches described,as a potentially useful complement to the existing standards and guidance of financial institutions(depending on the specific p

62、roject situation),or as part of broader enabling programmes to promote the renewable energy transition,supported by development finance institutions.The approach to each step is detailed in the guidance herein,summarised as follows:1)Set the spatial and temporal scales of CIA.2)Identify valued envir

63、onmental components(VECs)the environmental and social attributes considered to be important in assessing risks and trends in these VECs at an appropriate spatial scale.3)Determine VEC conservation targets and impact thresholds.4)Define an approach to apportioning allowable impacts on VECs.Stakeholde

64、r engagement,and data sharing and dissemination,will be essential.Information on the technical methods that could be used to support CIA is provided.Expert knowledge is expected to comprise a substantial part of the approach.Determining an acceptable threshold level of impact,beyond which a biodiver

65、sity feature may undergo undesirable change,is often a challenging technical and political problem.There are many reasons why ecological thresholds are difficult to define,determine and standardise.Where information and resources allow,methods such as those outlined in Section 3 can be used to asses

66、s population-or ecosystem-level impacts and thresholds for individual VECs.In relatively data-poor situations,a practical way forward is to assign VECs(based on overall conservation targets and specific VEC characteristics)to a set of general categories with associated thresholds.At the government l

67、evel,the benefits of CIA include the ability to take a broad and holistic view and deliver conservation outcomes on a much larger scale than project-by-project assessment,by identifying national or regional conservation priorities and defining conservation targets/impact thresholds at that scale.Gov

68、ernment-led CIA also supports more efficient,consistent,and expedited project-level permitting processes by aiding transparency and equitability between projects and enabling developers to integrate CIA and conservation priorities more easily into the project ESIA process from the beginning.Likewise

69、,government-led CIA avoids the requirement for individual developers to assess other multiple projects or activities which is a common expectation and often beyond the ability of individual developers to achieve meaningfully.The value of CIA to project developers includes providing confidence that r

70、eceptors at high risk of cumulative impacts,and consequently material project impacts,are identified in a timely manner so that effective and efficient project design,mitigation and monitoring actions can be identified as early as possible.This can be expected to reduce the risk of needing to identi

71、fy and implement additional mitigation requirements at late stages of project development or even operations,hence leading to increased investor confidence.Guidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructureixCIA also clearly sets poten

72、tial project impacts within the context of other pressures on biodiversity and can guide effective collaborations with other project proponents and stakeholder partners(e.g.environmental NGOs,civil society)to implement collective mitigation,compensation,and monitoring actions at appropriate spatial

73、scales.When there is a government-led CIA to draw on,the outputs can be integrated directly into the project ESIA at the scoping stage and inform the subsequent process(e.g.establishing the baseline,informing impact assessment,and mitigation requirements).Projects should follow existing good practic

74、e for ESIA.In this guidance,it is assumed that existing government assessments are robust,up to date,have been developed in consultation with appropriate stakeholders and remain representative.It is not expected that individual developers should be required to validate the outcomes of government-led

75、 CIA,since the scope of a project-level ESIA baseline is unlikely to capture or represent the spatial scale of government-led CIA.1 In both cases,the project approaches are designed to be implemented during the ESIA scoping and baseline stages.They show how establishing the status of biodiversity fe

76、atures and defining thresholds for impact can help work around the challenge of having to evaluate impacts linked to other developments.Since developers working in the same landscape or seascape are likely to have the same(or many of the same)biodiversity priorities,there are opportunities for colla

77、boration to identify relevant features and to set thresholds.An important outcome of project-level CIA and ESIA will be to facilitate data availability to feed into and inform government-level assessments.1 It is important that the data used for government-led and project-level CIA should be coheren

78、t For example,developers may,if they wish,be able to verify VEC trajectories at the spatial scale of government-led CIA,using desk-based approaches.xGuidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructureAcknowledgementsThe following have m

79、ade contributions to the contents of this publications as participants of the IUCN Promoting Nature-friendly Renewable Energy Developments project:Reviewers and contributors Tris Allinson(BirdLife International);Audrey Bard(Equinor);Joyce Boekestijn(Shell);Guillaume Capdevielle(Total SE);Melanie Dag

80、es(EDF Renewables);Astrid Delaporte-Sprengers(Total SE);Steven Dickinson(Total SE);Gustavo Estrada(Eni);Alessandro Frangi(EDF Renewables);Monica Fundingsland(Equinor);Ben Jobson(TBC);Agathe Jouneau(EDF Renewables);Marine Julliand(Total SE);Peter Marcus Kolderup Greve(Equinor);Magdalena Kos(Eni);Lari

81、ssa Leitch(Shell);Adele Mayol(Total SE);Bruce McKenney(The Nature Conservancy);Thomas Merzi(Total SE);Marta Morichini(ENI);Rhiannon Niven(BirdLife International);Pedroni Paola Maria(Eni);Magali Pollard(TotalSE);Howard Rosenbaum(Wildlife Conservation Society);Jose Rubio(Fauna&Flora International);Eld

82、ina Salkanovic(Shell);Libby Sandbrook(Fauna&Flora International);Ariane Thenaday(Total SE);Claire Varret(EDF);Hafren Williams(Fauna&Flora International);Margherita Zapelloni(Eni Plenitude).Peer reviewers Edward Willsteed(Associate Director,Howell Marine Consulting);Cris Hein(Senior Project Leader-En

83、vironmental Portfolio,National Renewable Energy Laboratory)Disclaimer BirdLife International chose not to receive funding for its contribution to this project,as per their Working with Business Framework.Guidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associ

84、ated infrastructurexiAcronymsAAAppropriate assessmentABMAgent-based modelsBSIBritish Standards InstitutionCBDConvention on Biological DiversityCECumulative exposureCEACumulative effects assessmentCEAMCumulative effects assessment and managementCEMCommission on Ecosystem ManagementCICumulative impact

85、(s)CIACumulative impact assessmentCIUCounterfactual of Impacted to Unimpacted PopulationCSPConcentrated solar powerCSRDCorporate Sustainability Reporting DirectiveDECCDepartment of Energy and Climate Change(UK)*DFIDevelopment Finance InstitutionEFRAGEuropean Financial Reporting Advisory GroupEIAEnvi

86、ronmental impact assessmentEMMPEnvironmental Management and Monitoring PlanESGEnvironmental,social,and governanceESIAEnvironmental and social Impact assessmentESRSEuropean Sustainability Reporting StandardEUEuropean UnionGHGGreenhouse gasGIIPGood International Industry PracticeGPSGlobal Positioning

87、SystemGRIGlobal Reporting InitiativeGWGigawattHRAHabitat regulations assessmentIBAImportant Bird and Biodiversity AreaIDEAInvestigate,discuss,estimate and aggregateIFCInternational Finance CorporationIMECImpact mitigation and ecological compensationIPBESIntergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on B

88、iodiversity and Ecosystem ServicesIUCNInternational Union for Conservation of NatureKBAKey Biodiversity AreaKMGBF Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity FrameworkLEAPLocate,evaluate,assess,prioritiseLSELikely significant effectMSBMigratory soaring birdsMSPMarine Spatial PlanningMWMegawattNFRDNon-Finan

89、cial Reporting DirectiveNGONon-governmental organisationORCTOverberg Renosterveld Conservation TrustPBRPotential biological removalPVPhotovoltaicPVAPopulation viability analysisRCIARapid cumulative impact assessmentREDZRenewable Energy Development ZoneSABAASouth Africa Bat Assessment AssociationSBTi

90、Science Based Targets InitiativeSBTNScience Based Targets NetworkSDGSustainable Development GoalSDMSpecies Distribution ModellingSDODShutdown on demandSEAStrategic environmental assessmentSESAStrategic environmental and social assessmentSNCBStatutory Nature Conservation BodiesSNHScottish Natural Her

91、itageSPASpecial protection areaSSSISite of Special Scientific InterestTNFDTaskforce on Nature-related Financial DisclosuresUSAIDUnited States Agency for International DevelopmentVECValued environmental component*WWFWorld Wildlife FundWWPWind power project*Became part of the Department for Business,E

92、nergy and Industrial Strategy in July 2016.*Also referred to as valued environmental and social component(s).xiiGuidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructureGlossaryCumulative Exposure The proportion of a population potentially ex

93、posed to renewable energy infrastructure.(Goodale etal.,2019)Cumulative Effects Assessment See Annex I Definitions from literatureCumulative Effects Assessment and Management See Annex I Definitions from literatureCumulative impact(s)Variously defined in the literature and by government agencies and

94、 financial institutions as impacts that can result from the successive,incremental,and/or combined effects of an action,in combination with other relevant past,present,and reasonably foreseeable future actions,including individually minor but collectively significant actions taking place over a peri

95、od of time,and focused on features and impacts that are generally recognized as important based on scientific considerations and/or concerns from directly affected local communities.See Box 2 and Annex I.Cumulative Impact Assessment See Annex IEcological thresholdThe point at which a relatively smal

96、l change in external conditions causes a rapid change in an ecosystem.When an ecological threshold has been passed,the ecosystem may no longer be able to return to its state by means of its inherent resilience(IPBES,2019)Ecosystem integrityConsidered to be the degree to which an ecosystems character

97、istics reflect its natural range of variation(Carter etal.,2019;Nicholson etal.,2021).Characteristics include ecosystem condition(with components of composition,structure and function)and connectivityEffectAn effect is a change as a result or consequence of an action or another cause.An effect is no

98、t necessarily an impact unless it affects a component of the environment in a significant or substantial way,as deemed by society(Blakley,2021).The terms effect and impact are often used synonymously in the literature and the community of practice.Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity FrameworkThis f

99、ramework was adopted during COP 15 following a four-year consultation and negotiation process.It sets out a suite of goals and targets for overall biodiversity outcomes by 2030 and 2050.The framework aims to put nature on a path to recovery,halting biodiversity loss and reversing it through ecosyste

100、m and species restorationGood International Industry PracticeDefined as the exercise of professional skill,diligence,prudence,and foresight that would reasonably be expected from skilled and experienced professionals engaged in the same type of undertaking under the same or similar circumstances glo

101、bally or regionally(IFC,2012)Investigate,Discuss,Estimate and Aggregate Defined as a structured elicitation protocol modified from the well-established Delphi procedure(Hsu&Sandford,2007)and was designed to derive judgements of quantitative and probabilistic estimates(Courtney Jones etal.,2023)Guida

102、nce on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructurexiiiIDEAcologyAn interface created specifically for the IDEA protocol,designed to facilitate managing an IDEA elicitation,the process prior to statistical analysis(Courtney Jones etal.,2023)

103、ImpactAn effect becomes an impact when it affects a component of the environment in a significant or substantial way,as deemed by society(Blakley,2021).The terms effect and impact are often used synonymously in the literature and the community of practice.Likely significant effect Any effect that ma

104、y reasonably be predicted as a consequence of the plan or project that may affect the conservation objectives of the features for which a site was designated.Mitigation hierarchyA widely used tool that guides users towards limiting as far as possible the negative impacts on biodiversity from develop

105、ment projects.It emphasises best-practice of avoiding and minimising any negative impacts,and then restoring sites no longer used by a project,before finally considering offsetting residual impacts(TBC,2024)Natura 2000“A network of protected areas covering Europes most valuable and threatened specie

106、s and habitats.It is the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world,extending across all 27 EU Member States,both on land and at sea.The sites within Natura 2000 are designated under the Birds and the Habitats Directives”(EEA,2023)Nature positiveThere is no single agreed definition

107、for this concept,and several are in use.In line with the KMGBF,the Nature Positive Initiative defines it as halt and reverse nature loss by 2030 on a 2020 baseline,and achieve full recovery by 2050.According to the United Kingdom Council for Sustainable Business,“a nature-positive approach puts natu

108、re and biodiversity gain at the heart of decision-making and design.It goes beyond reducing and mitigating negative impacts on nature as it is a proactive and restorative approach focused on conservation,regeneration,and growth”(zu Ermgassen etal.,2022,p.3)(see Box1).Potential biological removal A m

109、easure of the number of individuals that can be removed from a population annually by human-induced mortality whilst retaining a viable population(Wade,1998)Species Distribution Modelling Quantitative modelling approach that relates known locations of species occurrences to environmental covariates(

110、e.g.altitude,temperature,precipitation,land cover)that may influence or define habitat potential photovoltaicTipping pointA set of conditions of an ecological or social system where further perturbation will cause rapid change and prevent the system from returning to its former state(IPBES,2019).Val

111、ued environmental componentDefined as environmental and social attributes considered to be important in assessing risks(IFC,2013).They are the receptors considered important by governments,project proponents,the public or other stakeholders,based on cultural values or scientific concerns(Hegmann eta

112、l.,1999)xivGuidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructureInspecting or repairing solar cells on solar farms.Photo:EmmaStockGuidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrast

113、ructure11 The renewable energy transitionThe need to transition to a lower carbon,nature-safe,renewable energy-based economy is more urgent than ever(WWF&BCG,2023;WWF&TBC,2023).The Paris Agreement2 sets a stringent target of limiting global warming to 2C above pre-industrial levels by 2050,3 emphasi

114、sing the necessity of urgent,rapid,and extensive renewable energy adoption to achieve such target.Delays in implementing low-carbon energy solutions as part of the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy will severely hinder progress towards this goal.In parallel,the recently adopted Kunmin

115、g-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework4(KMGBF)sets an overall vision of achieving full recovery of nature by 2050,and aims to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 to sustain a healthy planet,whilst delivering benefits essential for human well-being and economic prosperity for all people(Box

116、1).These global climate and nature goals highlight that the transition to low-carbon energy cannot occur in isolation,nor in a vacuum achieving them both requires combining efforts to reduce greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions with biodiversity conservation and ensuring they are mutually beneficial(action

117、on climate is not necessarily inherently good for biodiversity(Dunne,2022).Further,access to energy remains a critical challenge in many countries,subjecting many people to a life of poverty.Addressing this 2 https:/unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement3 To achieve the Paris Agreement

118、goal,greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions must peak before 2025 at the latest and decline 43%by 2030.However,global GHG emissions continue to increase,for various reasons(IPCC,2023a)4 https:/www.cbd.int/doc/decisions/cop-15/cop-15-dec-04-en.pdf 5 Note that the KMGBF does not specifically include the term na

119、ture positive,and there is no single agreed definition for this concept several are in use(for example,zu Ermgassen etal.,2022).IUCN is developing a quantitative methodology to help companies,governments and civil society assess opportunities and risks,set targets,measure progress and deliver nature

120、-positive impacts(IUCN,2022).6 1 GW,or 1 billion watts,is enough to power approximately 333 x 3 MW utility scale wind turbines,or around 3.125 million x 320 watt photovoltaic panels,or about 100 million LED light bulbs(Rumph,2022).For context,the United States consumed 3,995 GW in 2022(Stein,2023).c

121、hallenge through the rapid deployment of renewable energy is paramount in 2023 at the halfway point for achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)the world is currently not on track to achieve SDG 7 ensuring access to affordable,reliable,sustainable and modern energy for all(Roser,2020;I

122、BRD/The World Bank,2023;IEA,2023a).All of this implies the need to transform the way societies are operating to address the current biodiversity and ecosystem collapse and work towards a just and nature-positive future.5 Renewable energy is now the least cost option in the power sector(REN21,2019).O

123、ver 60 countries now generate more than 10%of their electricity from wind and solar(Ember,2023),and renewable energy is expected to overtake coal as the largest source of global electricity generation by early 2025(IEA,2022a).Over the period 2022 to 2027,renewable energy capacity is expected to grow

124、 by 2,400 gigawatts(GW)6 equalling the entire installed capacity of China today,and to account for more than 90%of global electricity capacity expansion(IEA,2022a).Overall,renewables are set to contribute up to 80%of new power capacity by 2050(mostly from solar PV)(IEA,2022b).However,while large-sca

125、le decarbonisation of global power infrastructure is essential to meeting climate goals,it must not happen at the expense of nature(Gasparatos etal.,2017;TNC,2021),especially as this would likely reduce the efficacy of decarbonisation efforts.Introduction12Guidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact

126、Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructure continued Box 1 Global goals for biodiversityIn December 2022,global goals for biodiversity were adopted via the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework(KMGBF)(CBD,2022).This historic intergovernmental agreement is also

127、an explicit call to action for the private sector,requiring all sectors of society to contribute towards its delivery(Booth etal.,2023).The key elements of the KMGBF are four long-term goals to achieve the 2050 vision,that“by 2050,biodiversity is valued,conserved,restored and wisely used,maintaining

128、 ecosystem services,sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people,”including 23 action-oriented global targets to achieve the 2030 mission in short,“to take urgent action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss to put nature on a path to recovery”(CBD,2022).Goal A addres

129、ses biodiversity outcomes and includes elements to enhance ecosystem area and integrity,restore species populations and prevent extinctions,and safeguard genetic diversity.Targets for 2030 address threat reduction and restoration,sustainably meeting peoples needs,and means of implementation.Threat-r

130、eduction and restoration targets are especially relevant in the roll out and expansion of renewable energy development globally.These include targets related to:inclusive spatial planning and halting loss of high biodiversity importance areas(Target 1);effective restoration of at least 30%of degrade

131、d areas of ecosystems(Target 2);effective conservation and management of at least 30%of land and sea(Target 3);and urgent action to halt extinctions and ensure conservation and recovery of species(Target 4).These global targets have implications for targets and thresholds for biodiversity features i

132、n Cumulative Impact Assessments(CIA)(see Section 3.3.3).Target 14 calls for governments to integrate biodiversity across all policies and plans,including strategic environmental assessments and environmental impact assessments,at all levels of government and across all sectors,“progressively alignin

133、g all relevant public and private activities,and fiscal and financial flows”(CBD,2022,p.11)with the KMGBF.CIA,as an input to inclusive spatial planning,is an important tool for meeting this target as well as Target 1.Target 15 requires government to take measures that ensure businesses assess and di

134、sclose their biodiversity-related risks,dependencies and impacts,along value chains and across portfolios,“in order to progressively reduce negative impacts on biodiversity,increase positive impacts,reduce biodiversity-related risks to business and financial institutions,and promote actions to ensur

135、e sustainable patterns of production”(CBD,2022,p.11).The nature positive conceptIn parallel with the KMGBF,the nature positive concept is emerging as an inclusive and ambitious rallying call that aligns with the KMGBF(Booth etal.,2023).Nature is often used as shorthand for biodiversity,but it is a b

136、roader concept that also encompasses non-living components,such as climate,air,soil and water.Conservation and business forums are increasingly converging on the nature positive concept(zu Ermgassen etal.,2022)to achieve the 2030 and 2050 goals of the KMGBF and to drive transformative change in the

137、relationship between business and nature.There is no single agreed definition for the term,and several are in use.In line with the KMGBF,the Nature Positive Initiative defines it as“halt and Guidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastr

138、ucture3Box 1(continued)reverse nature loss by 2030 on a 2020 baseline,and achieve full recovery by 2050”(NPI,n.d.).The UK Council for Sustainable Business says“a nature-positive approach puts nature and biodiversity gain at the heart of decision-making and design.It goes)beyond reducing and mitigati

139、ng negative impacts on nature as it is a proactive and restorative approach focused on conservation,regeneration,and growth”(zuErmgassen etal.,2022,p.3).Although debate continues on what nature positive means for business(Milner-Gulland,2022;zuErmgassen etal.,2022),it is generally viewed as a broad

140、societal goal to which businesses and civil society can contribute,rather than a specific project or organisational-level objective.The idea of nature positive emerges from the urgent need to conserve and restore nature,with widespread recognition of the pace at which species and ecosystems are disa

141、ppearing and the scale of risk this poses to business and society(Dasgupta,2021;IPBES,2022;WWF,2022).Nature positive moves beyond traditional corporate approaches,such as no net loss(NNL)or net positive impact(NPI)of biodiversity,in three main ways(TBC,2022):i)a broader scope,encompassing all of a c

142、ompanys value chain and integrating all of nature;ii)clearer alignment with global goals requiring absolute improvements in the state of nature,not just slowing down its loss;and iii)emphasis on both mainstreaming nature in corporate structures and processes,and broader,transformational systems chan

143、ge that goes beyond any single company.The KMGBF does not include the term nature positive but embeds this purpose and clear direction for the journey towards collective action for biodiversity.It also signposts increasing stakeholder expectations for the role of business in supporting efforts to ha

144、lt and reverse biodiversity loss,including in the text of Target15(TBC,2023,16 January).The IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management(CEM),through the Impact Mitigation and Ecological Compensation Thematic Group(IMEC)has developed a technical paper,Nature positive for business,Developing a common appr

145、oach(Baggaley etal.2023),to provide businesses with a better understanding of approaches that can contribute to the global goal of nature positive.Application of the mitigation hierarchy is central to a nature positive approach(Maron etal.,2023).This means strongly prioritising impact avoidance and

146、minimisation,whether at project,landscape or systems levels.To meet the KMGBF and nature positive goals for nature recovery,further conservation actions will also then be needed to obtain an overall net gain of biodiversity.Contributed by:The Biodiversity ConsultancyPhoto:Ricardo Tom/TBC4Guidance on

147、 biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructureAs wind and solar energy projects proliferate worldwide,policy makers,practitioners,and conservationists alike are recognising the need for timely strategic planning to inform licensing and regula

148、tory systems and conservation approaches,which can respond to the accelerating pace of the renewable energy transition.Key to this is balancing the reduction of GHG emissions with the need to minimise local biodiversity and human well-being impacts.The pace of the energy transition will require the

149、wind and solar sectors to both maximise development in current areas of favourable resource and expand into many new areas.Competition for suitable and available areas will thus increase,emphasising the importance of early government-led strategic spatial planning and assessment(Box 2).It is also wo

150、rth noting that the regulatory landscape for nature and biodiversity reporting and target setting is advancing rapidly across different jurisdictions in response to the growing trend towards mainstreaming biodiversity into corporate decision-making(Box 3).Hence,understanding and managing potential c

151、umulative impacts(see Section 1.2)on biodiversity in meaningful and practical ways will be key to a renewable energy transition that supports both climate and nature goals.It is therefore essential to meaningfully assess the potential cumulative impacts of development alongside multiple different gl

152、obal/national goals and targets,to be able to make informed decisions about energy policies and the allocation and sustainable use of the available space,both on land and in the coastal/marine realm,as well as informing the potential trade-offs that might be necessary to support inclusive planning a

153、nd a managed energy transition.1.2 TerminologyWhilst there is no single agreed definition for the terms cumulative impact,this guidance aligns with the definitions in the literature and used by 7 WBG ESS1(World Bank,2017)also adds“unplanned but predictable activities enabled by the project that may

154、occur later or at a different location”.IFC PS1(IFC,2012)limits activities for consideration to those existing,planned or reasonably defined at the time the risks and impacts identification process is conducted.8 Termed Affected Communities in IFC PS1(IFC,2012)and WBG ESS1(World Bank,2017).9 https:/

155、eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32022L246410 https:/www.efrag.org/lab6government agencies and financial institutions(see Annex1),which generally acknowledge that cumulative impacts can result from successive,incremental,and/or combined effects of an action(e.g.a development project

156、):X acting in combination with other relevant past,present,and reasonably foreseeable future actions;7 X including individually minor but collectively significant actions taking place over a period of time;and/or X focused on features and impacts that are generally recognised as important,based on s

157、cientific considerations and/or concerns from directly affected local communities.8Some definitions state what types of impacts contribute to cumulative impacts,and others do not(Foley etal.,2017).The terms cumulative effects(CE)and cumulative effects assessment(CEA)are also used and are generally i

158、nterchangeable with cumulative impacts and CIA(Seitz etal.,2011;Roudgarmi,2018;Blakley,2021).There is a distinction between effect and impact,whereby an effect is not necessarily an impact unless it affects a component of the environment in a significant or substantial way,as deemed by society(Blakl

159、ey,2021).The expanded term cumulative effects assessment and management(CEAM)captures the need for mitigation and management(Canter&Ross,2010).In Europe,the term in combination assessment is used with specific respect to the Habitats Directive(EU,1992)and the requirement to understand the potential

160、for a project to have adverse significant effects on the integrity of sites in the Natura 2000 network(European Commission,n.d.)(Case study1;EU,1992 in combination assessment).The CSRD9 on material sustainability impacts,risks and opportunities(ESRS 4)10 does not specifically refer to cumulative imp

161、acts,but it refers to Guidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructure5Box 2Relationship between cumulative impact assessment and strategic spatial planning and assessmentCIA is a component of,and not synonymous with,wider strategic

162、spatial planning and assessment processes like Strategic Environmental Assessment(SEA)or Marine Spatial Planning(MSP)(see Bennun et al.,2024).SEA is a systematic process for incorporating environmental and social considerations across different levels of strategic decision-making(the plan,programme,

163、and policy levels)as early as possible,with a high degree of government ownership(EU,2017).It is not a single approach,but a family of approaches on a continuum from impact analysis to institutional assessment(Coutinho etal.,2019).MSP is defined as a public process of analysing and allocating the sp

164、atial and temporal distribution of human activities in marine areas to achieve ecological,economic,and social objectives that usually have been specified through a political process(Ehler&Douvere,2009).Both SEA and MSP are usually government-led processes for exploring future development scenarios a

165、nd influencing and rationalising the organisation and future spatial distribution of different activities.The aim is to balance development with the need to protect the environment and achieve social and economic objectives in a transparent way,based on managing trade-offs between environmental,econ

166、omic,and social constraints(Ehler&Douvere,2009;Blakley and Noble,2021;Partidario,2012).Significant biodiversity impacts can often be avoided entirely by placing renewable energy developments in areas of low biodiversity value,such as previously converted sites(e.g.agricultural lands and other types

167、of modified habitat).Avoidance at the early planning stage is the most effective and lowest cost mitigation measure available to governments and developers.Hence,the important role of CIA to identify biodiversity priorities and understand conservation goals/targets for them,which then feeds into str

168、ategic planning and assessment alongside multiple other considerations.CIA is a key input into strategic planning and assessment,and it must be linked to these processes(Figure 1).This is one key reason why it is beneficial to reframe CIA away from an impact assessment approach that attempts to defi

169、ne how much loss is acceptable,towards a conservation-oriented approach that helps plan to align with global and jurisdictional biodiversity goals/targets(see Section 2.1).Government-led CIA may take place at the landscape,national,or international(e.g.regional or flyway)levels,but it will not be ef

170、fective if delinked from robust planning,target-setting,and implementation processes.Strategic Environmental Assessment(SEA)Early planningProject consent and permitting processRegional,national,or sub-nationalLandscape or seascapeProject area of influenceGovernment/International Finance Institutions

171、DeveloperIdentify development areasProject construction&operationLandscape-Scale Planning(LSP)Marine Spatial Planning(MSP)Project Environmental&Social Impact Assessment(ESIA)(with integrated CIA)Monitoring&Evaluation PlanBiodiversity Action PlanBiodiversity sensitivity mappingOther technical feasibi

172、lity studies&constraints mappingConservation NGOsWider stakeholder baseTypical leadSupported byTechnical component assessmentsPlanning&assessment processSpatial scalePlanning&development stageWork led by developers potentially informs wider-scale planning&assessment.Government-led CIA can be integra

173、ted directly into project level ESIA.InformInternational Financial Institution lending standardsTechnical component assessments inform strategic planning decisions.Biodiversity risk screeningRisk screening helps refine and focus scope of work at the site levelCumulative Impact Assessment(CIA)Figure

174、1 Overarching existing spatial planning processes and key technical component assessments Source:Authors.Note:This is a simplified figure of processes and assessments that in practice involve significant feedback and adaptive response.Some are highlighted in the figure.Contributed by:The Biodiversit

175、y Conservation6Guidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructureBox 3The emerging reporting and disclosure landscapesA shift towards nature-positive thinking(Box 1)by corporates has also been supported by the development of regulatory

176、,such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive(CSRD),and voluntary standards(such as the Science-based Targets Network(SBTN)and the Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures(TNFD)(White etal.,2023).CSRD is an EU environmental,social,and governance(ESG)legislative act that exte

177、nds the reporting scope of the existing Non-Financial Reporting Directive(NFRD).Thegoalof the CSRD is to provide transparency that will help investors,analysts,consumers,and other stakeholders better evaluate EU companies sustainability performance as well as the related business impacts and risks.C

178、ompanies subject to CSRD report according to European Sustainability Reporting Standards(ESRS),prepared by EFRAG(European Financial Reporting Advisory Group).The ESRS are a set of rules for what information companies should disclose,and when and how they should do it.There are general requirements(E

179、SRS 1)and disclosures(ESRS 2)for every company,and ESG topical standards split into Social and Environmental Standards,including ESRS 4 on biodiversity and ecosystems.SBTN is a global coalition of NGOs,business associations,consultancies,leading scientists,and sustainability experts focused on setti

180、ng the standard for ambitious corporate action on nature,translated into science-based targets for nature.These build on the existing Science Based Targets initiative(SBTi)which is already helped businesses to set GHG emissions reductions targets.SBTNs(2024,p.11)current target-setting process for na

181、ture is divided into five steps:i)assess;ii)interpret and prioritise;iii)measure,set,and disclose targets;iv)act;and v)track.A guidance document is available from SBTN(2024).TNFD builds on the Taskforce for Climate-related Financial Disclosures(TCFD)Framework.It is a global,market-led,science-based

182、initiative with amissionto support businesses and financial institutions tointegrate nature into their decision-making processes.through the identification,management,and disclosure of nature-related risks,opportunities,impacts,and dependencies.Guidance to do so is compiled in the TNFD Framework,con

183、taining disclosure recommendations,the Locate-Evaluate-Assess-Prioritise(LEAP)approach,and additional guidance for assessing,reporting,and acting.The LEAP guidance notes that consideration of external factors is also relevant for impacts because they could interact with a companys impact drivers to

184、create cumulative impacts,or tipping points(see Sections 1.2 and 3.3.3).TNFD aims to align with other existing frameworks,including SBTN and the EU ESRS,as well as the Global Reporting Initiative(GRI).TNFD and SBTN have released joint guidance for target-setting,outlining how both fit together and w

185、here targets sit in the TNFD framework.TNFD sector guidance is also in development,including for electric utilities and power generation,and metals and mining.Impacts within the scope of the TNFD framework include:i)direct changes in the state of nature caused by a business activity with a direct ca

186、usal link;ii)indirect changes in the state of nature caused by business activities with an indirect causal link;and/or iii)cumulative changes in the state of nature(direct or indirect)that occur due to the interaction of activities of different actors operating in a landscape or freshwater/marine ar

187、ea.Contributed by:The Biodiversity ConsultancyGuidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructure7planetary boundaries(Stockholm Resilience Centre,n.d.)and the use of ecological thresholds11 aligned with planetary boundaries and the KMG

188、BF(Box 1)both of which imply the need for CIA.This guidance uses the terms cumulative impact and cumulative impact assessment as equivalent to cumulative effects or cumulative effects assessment,respectively.1.3 The importance of cumulative impacts for wind and solar developmentCumulative impacts on

189、 biodiversity represent some of the most complex and urgent environmental,social,technical,and governance issues of today(Blakley,2021)(see Annex3 for a summary of key potential impacts on biodiversity from wind and solar development and associated infrastructure).The reasons for this include:X The

190、individual impacts of a single development can combine with other developments or activities of the same type,or a range of different types,and overwhelm the ability of the receiving environment to absorb change(Blakley,2021).X Impacts can occur and combine at the same time,accumulate incrementally

191、or successively,or act synergistically and unpredictably(Masden etal.,2010).X When impacts accumulate gradually,they can be difficult to detect(Blakley,2021).X Individual impacts of a single development with multiple components can also combine and accumulate,such as an offshore wind farm with infra

192、structure in the marine realm(e.g.turbines),the intertidal/coastal zone(e.g.export cable landfall and grid connection),and onshore(e.g.substation and transmission infrastructure).If impacts are considered separately,their full effect in combination may not be obvious.11 An ecological threshold is de

193、fined by IPBES as the point at which a relatively small change in external conditions causes a rapid change in an ecosystem.When an ecological threshold has been passed,the ecosystem may no longer be able to return to its state by means of its inherent resilience.X Even project-level impacts that ar

194、e individually minor or moderate(and thus often not assessed further)can be collectively significant for a receptor that is already in a compromised state(Thrivel&Ross,2007;Olagunju&Gunn,2013;Roudgarmi,2018;Blakley,2021).These complexities raise significant challenges at a cumulative scale as the wi

195、nd and solar sectors undergo a rapid global expansion.Applying the mitigation hierarchy remains central to good practice(Annex2;Bennun etal.,2021).Constraints on site suitability,whether due to physical limitations on site suitability,the need to be close to areas of energy demand,or social and econ

196、omic considerations,often lead to a spatial clustering of sites.Where these sites overlap with the ranges or migratory routes of vulnerable species,the likelihood of a significant adverse impact may increase.Good baseline biodiversity data is necessary to identify sites where such an impact is likel

197、y.However,there are disparities in the availability of this baseline data,with many of the most data-limited species present in emerging markets(Proena etal.,2017),where wind and solar developments are often expanding most rapidly.In some instances,inferences about potential impacts may be made from

198、 related species in established markets(e.g.Thaxter etal.,2017).As wind and solar deployment continues to expand globally,there is an increased risk of interactions involving species with no obvious surrogates in more established markets(e.g.fruit bats,hornbills)with unpredictable consequences.Furth

199、er unpredictable consequences may be introduced through the development and expansion of emerging technologies,including floating wind and solar(see Table 1).The speed of expansion of both established and emerging technologies,coupled with the potential exposure to new species and ecosystems,increas

200、es the probability that reasonably foreseeable developments are overlooked and the consequences of the cumulative impacts associated with these projects underestimated.8Guidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructureBecause of these

201、 issues,the potential cumulative impacts of wind and solar energy on some species may be of much greater significance than might be anticipated if any one project is considered in isolation,potentially significantly increasing local or global extinction risk.For example,the hoary bat(Lasiurus cinere

202、us)is currently assessed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species,12 meaning it might be overlooked by traditional ESIA approaches.However,it is the species most frequently killed by turbines in North America.Frick etal.,(2017)used population projection models to estimate that the

203、 Hoary Bat population could decline by as much as 90%in the 12 https:/www.iucnredlist.org/species/11345/2212030513 A tipping point is defined by IPBES as a level of change in system properties beyond which a system reorganises,often abruptly,and does not return to the initial state even if the drive

204、rs of the change are abated.next 50 years without targeted mitigation to reduce mortality from turbine collisions.Background pressures and trends that are not associated with regulated developments can also contribute to cumulative impacts.For example,avian mortality linked to disease or predation a

205、t breeding colonies could combine with mortality due to collision with wind turbine blades,and with the loss of coastal breeding habitat due to ports and harbours development.Such combined impacts may take species or ecosystems across ecological thresholds or tipping points13(see Section 3.3.3),depe

206、nding on the type and status of the receptor.For instance,threatened species CHALLENGES EXAMPLESRapid expansion Wind and solar development is expanding rapidly in parts of the world where there is often limited regulatory capacity,baseline datasets,and resources to support assessment and spatial pla

207、nningAs of October 2023,at least 140 new industrial-scale onshore wind projects were already in planning across Africa,representing 86 GW of capacity(and a small fraction of around 0.25%of the total technical potential capacity for onshore wind on the continent)(GWEC,2023).Data availability The info

208、rmation needed to assess the population-level significance of impacts on individuals(from fatalities or displacement)may be unavailable for many species.Furthermore,little is known about the vulnerability of some species groups in regions where there are,so far,few wind and solar developments and li

209、ttle monitoring of impacts.Relevant demographic data are extremely limited or non-existent for most potentially impacted species in emerging market countries.Examples of species where little know known include topical and sub-tropical fruit bats(Pteropodidae),and seabirds in taxon groups not typical

210、ly encountered in northern temperate marine areas(e.g.Phaethontidae,Diomedeidae).Lack of conservation targets Relevant conservation targets and thresholds may not exist or may be inconsistent across species rangesMany countries have not yet updated their National Biodiversity Strategies and Action P

211、lans to include explicit targets aligned with the Global Biodiversity FrameworkScale of assessment required Some important types of impacts(e.g.collision risk,underwater noise)may affect species that are wide-ranging and/or migratory,potentially requiring assessment over notably large geographical s

212、cales.The relative contribution of cumulative wind and solar energy impacts is difficult to assess in relation to the numerous other threats migratory species face across their ranges.Including soaring birds in inter-continental flyways,and migratory cetacean species.Limited knowledge of impacts Lit

213、tle is yet known about the potential impacts of some emerging wind and solar technologies.Including floating offshore wind and floating solar(floatovoltaics)Source:Authors.Table 1 Challenges for implementing Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developmentGuidance on biodiversity Cumulati

214、ve Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructure9and longer-lived,slower to reproduce species(e.g.migratory soaring birds)may be more likely than others to experience population-level impacts,and to experience them more rapidly,because such traits influence the abil

215、ity of the population to absorb change and/or recover from perturbations.Understanding cumulative impacts is an important part of informing strategic,coherent,and efficient collective approaches to mitigation and ecological compensation including spatial planning.This relates not only to project-lev

216、el objectives and mitigation efforts,which could be affected by impacts or mitigation actions from other developments(Bennun etal.,2021),but also to achieving global and jurisdictional goals and targets for nature(see Box 1 and Section 3.3.3).Assessment across sectors,as well as between projects,has

217、 the potential to improve the planning and effectiveness of mitigation by highlighting opportunities for coordination and collective action,which may contribute to achieving cross-policy objectives(see Case study3 and Case study4).This could include regulatory requirements to ensure effective mitiga

218、tion for species and ecosystems identified as at-risk through strategic assessments,in line with national or regional biodiversity conservation targets.For developers,collaborative actions in the same land-or seascape(for example,data sharing,aggregated offsets,or other joint interventions and initi

219、atives)14 can have the benefit of spreading risks and costs between several developers,as well as reducing overall transaction costs and potentially improving efficiency and effectiveness(Bennun etal.,2021).15 In the past,the lack of government strategic intervention has contributed to situations wh

220、ereby individual developers have engaged in a race to submission to avoid their project(s)being the one to tip the balance between CIAs being acceptable and unacceptable(see Case study 2).14 Such as the UKs Collaborative Offshore Wind Research into the Environment(COWRIE),the Strategic Ornithologica

221、l Support Services(SOSS),and the Offshore Renewables Joint Industry Programme(ORJIP),which promote collaboration between developers.15 See also Pizzolla etal.(2024)and the ScotWind leasing round,in which developers responsible for 11 different projects have worked together to deliver a review of pot

222、ential compensation measures at a regional scale.10Guidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructureAccessing electricity in informal settlement(Enkanini,South Africa)Photo:mrnovel80 on Adobe StockGuidance on biodiversity Cumulative I

223、mpact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructure11Whereas the ecological and practical benefits of CIA are clear,implementation remains problematic in practice,for both practical and conceptual reasons.In addition to sector-specific challenges(outlined in Section 1.2),c

224、hallenges for CIA in general include:the frequent absence of government-led strategic planning and assessment(including absence of conservation targets and thresholds for Valued Ecosystem Components,or VECs);poor integration of CIA into project ESIA and approvals processes(in particular being treate

225、d as a separate bolt-on process that is carried out too late(e.g.Olagunju&Gunn,2015),with the effectiveness rarely being assessed);the absence of agreed definitions and a lack of standardised terminology and methods for assessing cumulative impacts(Annex1);handling uncertainty;difficulties defining

226、geographic,temporal,and biodiversity scope;data availability and access to information;achieving effective and inclusive stakeholder engagement;and resourcing constraints(e.g.cost,time,expertise).Conceptually,a fundamental challenge for CIA is that it is commonly implemented as an element of impact

227、assessment and framed in terms of damage limitation,or defining what constitutes acceptable loss of biodiversity,such as how many of a species,or what extent of an ecosystem.This approach is now misaligned with global biodiversity goals(e.g.KMGBF,see Box 1)and jurisdictional targets,which are increa

228、singly aspirational and framed around recovery and restoration.These commonly encountered practical and conceptual barriers can prevent or hinder the assessment of cumulative impacts,which are often exacerbated in emerging market contexts where enabling policy and regulations are emerging or yet to

229、be developed.From the perspective of conservation and biodiversity outcomes,these challenges will become even more significant as wind and solar development scales up in countries and regions with emerging regulatory oversight and/or a limited biodiversity data and information base.Thus,a key aim of

230、 this guidance is to reframe CIA to help support biodiversity conservation and the achievement of global biodiversity goals(alongside climate and other societal development goals).In addition,this guidance complements the existing literature and guidance on CIA(see Annex4),and offers an approach to

231、addressing some of the key implementation challenges by:X Outlining pragmatic and scalable approaches to implementation of CIA by government planners responsible for the renewable energy transition,and by wind and solar energy project developers(see Section 3)that:are aligned with existing good prac

232、tice such as the mitigation hierarchy(see Annex2),while recognising that the timeframe to meet global and national climate targets is short;show how the requirement for individual developers to assess multiple other projects or activities can be avoided;and show how CIA can be better integrated into

233、 project-level ESIA,and what developers can do when there is not a government-level CIA to draw on.X Facilitating an entry point for government-led CIA,showing how CIA can be approached even in data-poor contexts,where the available biodiversity baseline information remains scarce,especially where r

234、egulatory requirements are still emerging,and/or resources and capacity are constrained.X Signposting emerging technical methods showing promise for improving CIA in wind and solar contexts,which governments and project developers may consider trialling or improving further(see Section 3).About this

235、 guidance212Guidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructure X Summarising the key biodiversity features,where cumulative impact are likely to have the greatest effect,and thus likely to be a focus of a CIA for wind and solar and tra

236、nsmission infrastructure(see Annex3).X Highlighting priority areas that still need improvement,either through technical development or regional-or sector-scale collaboration(see Section 4).2.1 ScopeThe practical approaches outlined in this guidance focus on assessment of cumulative impacts on biodiv

237、ersity16 from wind and solar development carried out by:i)governments at the sector level;and ii)developers at the individual project level(and the relationship between the two)(see Section2.2).VECs receptors considered important by governments,project proponents and other stakeholders should be def

238、ined through an evidence-based,consultative,and consensus-based process.As outlined in Section1.2,this guidance aligns with the predominant definition of cumulative impact used in practice.Although it does not specify which types of impact contribute to cumulative impact or at what spatial scale,the

239、 guidance assumes that this determination will be made as part of a proportionate approach to understanding VECs(see Section 3.3.3).To facilitate CIA focused on conservation needs,while acknowledging that the information base for VECs could be limited,the guidance outlines a category-based approach

240、to establishing the current status and trend of VECs,prior to setting conservation targets and impact thresholds for wind and solar development.In this way,the intention is to capture relevant past and present effects on a VEC(Section 1.2).Future actions(see Section 1.2)are more challenging to defin

241、e and evaluate meaningfully and inclusively.At the government level,this guidance suggests that an 16 Ecosystem services impacts and impacts on human well-being and economy are not specifically addressed in this guidance.However,assessing such impacts is a fundamental part of robust strategic and pr

242、oject-level assessments aligned with global goals and targets,and for a just energy transition.17 Including:photovoltaic(PV)plants,concentrated solar power(CSP)plants,onshore wind farm developments,offshore fixed and floating wind developments,and associated transmission infrastructure.A synthesis o

243、f these typical developments is given in Bennun etal.2021.appropriate future look can be achieved,at least for impacts of the renewable energy development through scoping spatial and temporal boundaries of assessment in line with national renewable energy targets(see Section 3.3.1).This then feeds d

244、own to the individual project level.Where government-led CIA is not available for projects,the general approach in this guidance is to ensure that the impacts of the individual project are mitigated and remain below established thresholds.More detail is provided in Section 3.3.3.2.2 Intended usersTh

245、is guidance is aimed primarily at government planners and project developers.However,since it is designed to help tackle some of the existing challenges of CIA,there is potentially broader applicability.The guidance distinguishes CIA at two different levels:X Government-led CIA:an approach for gover

246、nment planners responsible for the sustainable roll-out and/or expansion of wind and solar and associated infrastructure,17 carried out at the appropriate strategic(e.g.national,regional or sectoral)scale.X Project-level CIA:approaches for developers of wind and solar and associated infrastructures

247、to undertake at the individual project level.These two scales are intrinsically linked.Ideally,the government-led CIA provides the framework within which project-level CIA is implemented.As part of this,government can establish guiding principles and minimum standards for CIA,including requirements

248、for stakeholder engagement,technical methods,and data sharing between projects(Box 4).Project level CIA can then help fill any gaps in government-led CIA,leading to incremental improvements.Guidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastru

249、cture13Lenders and investors could also benefit from the information and practical approaches described.The approaches are designed to address and work around some of the key conceptual and practical challenges of implementing CIA at the project level,thus they may be a useful complement to the exis

250、ting standards and guidance of financial institutions(depending on the specific project situation).Development finance institutions(DFIs)also support broader enabling programmes to promote the renewable energy transition,including supporting and advising governments in emerging markets.DFIs and othe

251、r lenders thus often work collaboratively with governments to implement strategic-level CIA or similar types of assessment at the strategic scale,sometimes also involving developers.This means less resource-intensive approaches to government-led CIA that can be implemented relatively quickly,in the

252、context of the accelerating renewable energy transition,could be particularly beneficial.14Guidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructureThis section outlines practical approaches to CIA for wind and solar development at the govern

253、ment and project levels 3.1 Government-led cumulative impact assessment Since the need to ensure implementation of good mitigation practice at the individual project level is clear(Bennun etal.,2021;WWF&TBC,2023),a broader perspective is needed to effectively and efficiently address potential cumula

254、tive impacts.To maximise the carbon-saving potential of renewable energy technologies,manage risks,and align with global goals18 and national targets,wind and solar roll-out and expansion must account for biodiversity at national or regional scales.In the past,lack of government-level strategic inte

255、rvention has contributed to situations whereby individual developers have engaged in a race to submission to avoid projects tipping cumulative impact thresholds(see Case study 2).Development informed by strategic-level spatial planning is much more likely to avoid significant biodiversity risks,meet

256、 national biodiversity goals,and thus make the subsequent permitting process more efficient and more predictable(Bennun etal.,2021;World Bank Group,2021).The benefits of CIA at the government level include the ability to take a broad and holistic view and deliver conservation outcomes on a much larg

257、er scale than project-by-project assessment(DCCEEW,2023),by identifying national or regional conservation priorities and defining conservation targets/thresholds at that scale.Project-level CIA can then help fill any gaps in government-led CIA,leading to ongoing and incremental improvements(see Sect

258、ion3.2).Importantly,for government-led CIA to be 18 For example,the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework(CBD,2022)and the 30 x 30 target to ensure and enable that by 2030,at least 30%of the planet(especially areas of particular importance for biodiversity and ecosystem functions and servic

259、es)is effectively conserved and managed.19 In terms of the consenting and development process,UK offshore wind can take around 12 years of project development,while onshore wind in Spain can take around 10 years,and utility scale solar in France commonly takes around four years(ETC,2023).effective,a

260、 suite of broader enabling actions will often be needed(see Box 4).The accelerated pace of renewable energy development also brings with it a push for regulators to streamline and speed-up consents and permitting processes so that national renewable energy targets can be met.Barriers to planning and

261、 permitting(Annex5)are a key cause of delays for wind and solar projects(Willsteed etal.,2018b;Dosanjh etal.,2023),stretching out project development processes from site selection through to commissioning,and affecting the likelihood of achieving renewable energy and climate targets according to pla

262、n.19A government-led strategic approach to CIA can improve project level planning and licensing processes by providing greater certainty about predicted impacts,reducing resultant delays to wind and solar projects(see Case study 2).Government-led CIA supports more efficient and consistent project-le

263、vel permitting processes by enabling developers to integrate CIA and conservation priorities more easily into the project ESIA process from the beginning.This aids transparency and equitability between projects and could enable coherent data collection to support regional and local assessment and mo

264、nitoring.Government-led CIA also avoids the requirement for individual developers to assess multiple other projects or activities(i.e.other relevant past,present,and reasonably foreseeable future actions),which is a common expectation and often beyond the ability of individual developers to achieve

265、meaningfully(e.g.because information is often difficult to access and verify,incomplete,and potentially inconsistent with a developers own methods and assessment approaches).Additionally,the ability of individual developers to achieve the necessary future look Practical approaches to cumulative impa

266、ct assessment3Guidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructure15Box 4Enabling actions for cumulative impact assessmentCumulative Impact Assessment(CIA)is a means to an end,in the context of renewables,to enable a nature-safe energy t

267、ransition(WWF&BCG,2023).For CIA to be effective,strong links are needed to the wider spheres of planning,policy making,and regulation(Blakley,2021).Beyond the CIA process itself,a range of enabling actions in line with the GBF mainstreaming target(Target 14;see Box 1)are needed to support effective

268、use of CIA,and thus achieve better societal,environmental,and economic outcomes.Important enabling actions for government-led CIA could include:Establishing an enabling framework for CIA in order to ensure that definitions and standards for baseline and monitoring data collection and analysis are ap

269、plied consistently across all projects.Mandating inclusive spatial planning,including CIA as a key input,for major sectors in advance of anticipated development across relevant jurisdictions.Integrating global or policy goals for nature explicitly into CIA targets(see Box 1 and Section 3.3.4)Ensurin

270、g public and private development sectors(e.g.infrastructure commissioning agencies,extractives,energy,agriculture,lenders),communities,and civil society are represented effectively in government-led CIA to deliver benefits to all stakeholders.Supporting national biodiversity research institutions or

271、 others to identify,prioritise,and fill data gaps,and compile and manage baseline and monitoring datasets,for relevant biodiversity features.Where appropriate,working with development banks to provide early resources for CIA as an input to inclusive spatial planning to enable scaling up the renewabl

272、es sector.Developing a review process for identifying valued ecosystem components(VECs)(see Section 3.3.2)and limits of acceptable change/project-level thresholds or targets(e.g.in relation to nature-inclusive design).Incorporating appropriate and proportionate oversight and controls into the projec

273、t-level permitting practice(e.g.requirements for monitoring,auditing of sites).Requiring robust application of the mitigation hierarchy,mitigation plans to achieve project-level thresholds,and science-based monitoring and adaptive management of project impacts.Maintaining a register of project impac

274、ts on VECs to facilitate monitoring and checking that project-level impacts and overall limits of acceptable change in VECs will not be exceeded.Defining data standards and mandating baseline and monitoring data sharing by project proponents.Incorporate project-level data into open-access regional/n

275、ational datasets to inform future work.Ideally,these enabling actions will mean that CIA can address multiple policy objectives,making it applicable to different institutional users,and supporting alignment across multiple sectors(for example energy generation,nature protection,and fisheries).Contri

276、buted by:The Biodiversity ConsultancyFigure 2 Practical approach to government-led cumulative impact assessment Source:TBCGOVERNMENT-LED CUMULATIVE IMPACT ASSESSMENT(CIA)Identify Valued Environmental Components(VECs)at scale of CIA.VECs are the attributes considered to be important in assessing risk

277、s see Section 3.3.2.Determine VEC targets and thresholds see Section 3.3.3.Set spatial(e.g.,national or regional)and temporal scale of CIA see Section 3.3.1.Define approach to apportioning allowable impacts on VECs amongst future projects-see Section 3.3.4Identify requirements for compensatory conse

278、rvation to meet overall government-level targets for VECs-see Section 3.3.3.Informs project-level ESIA of individual projects.Developers ensure impacts are mitigated below government-set thresholds and carry out compensatory conservation in line with government targets(see Figure 3).Project data and

279、 information feed back into government-led CIA.Government-level CIAActions carried out as part of project-level Environmental and Social Impact Assessment(ESIA)16Guidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructure(e.g.in terms of geogra

280、phic scale and time frame over which to consider future projects,and/or the likely scant and uncertain detail available for those future projects)20 is virtually impossible hence,the importance of government-led,receptor-focused CIA(Annex6).Figure 2 presents a practical approach to CIA for governmen

281、t planners.Guidance on the steps outlined is given in Section 3.3.3.2 Project-led cumulative impact assessmentDevelopers of wind and solar and associated infrastructure typically implement project-level CIA where it is a regulatory requirement.In some cases,projects may conduct CIA due to lender or

282、investor requirements,even if there is not a regulatory framework requiring it.Ideally,project-level assessment is informed by government-led CIA,and developers can use government-led CIA to inform project design,mitigation,and monitoring.However,in practice,government-led assessments often are not

283、available,meaning project-level CIA is developed in isolation.While this creates challenges(see Section 1.2),project-level CIA can still be an effective part of an overall impact assessment and mitigation process.The value of CIA for project developers includes:X Providing confidence that receptors

284、at high-risk of cumulative impacts,and consequently material project impacts,are identified in a timely manner so that project design,mitigation and monitoring actions are effective and efficient,and that the risk of additional mitigation requirements being identified at late stages of project devel

285、opment or even operations is reduced.X Clearly setting potential project impacts within the context of other pressures on 20 Which is at odds with the demand for defensible and factual assessment(Hegmann,2021).21 For example,it remains current and not so dated that the findings are no longer applica

286、ble.22 Although developers may,if they wish,be able to verify VEC trajectories at the spatial scale of government-led CIA,using desk-based approaches.biodiversity(e.g.impacts on migratory species in other portions of their range),allowing clear assessment and communication of project responsibility

287、for potential population-scale impacts.X Guiding effective collaborations with other project proponents and stakeholder partners(e.g.environmental NGOs,civil society)to implement collective mitigation,compensation and monitoring actions at appropriate spatial scales.Supporting due diligence,demonstr

288、ating alignment with corporate environmental,social and governance(ESG)requirements(for example,CSRD in Europe)(EU,n.d.)and improving investor confidence.Figure 3 outlines a practical approach to CIA at the project level,for developers drawing on the outcomes of an existing government-led CIA.Figure

289、4 outlines a fallback approach where a government-led CIA is not available.Where there is an existing government-led CIA,those outputs are integrated directly into the project ESIA at the scoping stage and inform the subsequent process(e.g.establishing the baseline,informing impact assessment and mi

290、tigation requirements).Projects should follow existing good practice for ESIA.It is assumed that existing government assessments are robust,up to date,and have been developed in consultation with appropriate stakeholders and remain representative.21 It is not expected that individual developers shou

291、ld be required to validate the outcomes of government-led CIA,since the scope of a project-level ESIA baseline is unlikely to capture or represent the spatial scale of government-led CIA.22 If project ESIA scoping identifies VECs that are not captured in the government-led CIA,the project may need t

292、o follow the approach outlined in Figure3 for determining targets and thresholds for those VECs.Guidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructure17Identify VECs at scale of CIA and establish project ESIA baseline to confirm VECs in pr

293、oject area of influence see Section 3.3.2.At scoping phase of ESIA,set spatial and temporal scale of CIA-extending beyond the local,direct impact of the individual project and ensure ESIA reflects this see Section 3.3.1.Determine VEC targets and thresholds for confirmed VECs see Section 3.3.3Demonst

294、rate that any impacts on VECs are mitigated in line with the mitigation hierarchy and below set thresholds(and will remain so for project lifetime)and carry out compensatory conservation in line with any relevant wider conservation objectives.Define approach to scaling allowable impacts down to indi

295、vidual project level see Section 3.3.4.Carry out project impact assessment for confirmed VECs.PROJECT-LEVEL CIA WHEN NO GOVERNMENT-LED CIA IS AVAILABLEProject data and information feed back into national knowledge about VECs.Actions carried out as part of project-level Environmental and Social Impac

296、t Assessment(ESIA)Figure 4 Project approach to cumulative impact assessment where a government-led CIA is not available Source:Authors.Figure 3 Project approach to Cumulative Impact Assessment where a government-led Cumulative Impact Assessment is available Source:Authors.Establish project ESIA base

297、line and confirm VECs in project area of influence(see Section 3.3.2).ESIA scoping to confirm whether existing government-led CIA captures all project VECsAll VECs capturedAdditional VECs are identified in ESIA scopingCarry out project impact assessment for confirmed VECs.Confirm any regulatory or s

298、takeholder requirements additional to government-led CIA.Demonstrate that any impacts on VECs are mitigated in line with the mitigation hierarchy and below set thresholds(and will remain so for project lifetime)and carry out compensatory conservation in line with government targets(see Section 3.3.3

299、 and Section 3.3.4).Establish project ESIA baseline and confirm VECs in project area of influence(see Section 3.3.2).Follow project-level CIA approach to threshold setting see Figure 4.No further action needed.VEC determined not to be present.VEC confirmedConfirm whether there is a suitable proxy VE

300、C from existing government-led CIA.Proxy VEC existsNo suitable proxy VECPROJECT-LEVEL CIA INFORMED BY GOVERNMENT-LEDCIAActions carried out as part of project-level Environmental and Social Impact Assessment(ESIA)Project data and information feed back into government-led CIA.18Guidance on biodiversit

301、y Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructureIn both cases,the project approaches are designed to be implemented during the ESIA scoping and baseline stages.They show how establishing the status of biodiversity features and defining thresholds for impac

302、t can help work around the challenge of having to evaluate impacts linked to other developments.Since developers working in the same landscape or seascape are likely to have the same(or many of the same)biodiversity priorities,there are opportunities for collaboration to identify relevant features a

303、nd to set thresholds.An important outcome of project-level CIA and ESIA will be to facilitate data availability to feed into and inform government-level assessments.23 Further detail on the steps is given in Section 3.3.3.3 Key stepsThe steps outlined in this section apply to both the government-led

304、 CIA approach shown in Figure2,and the project approaches shown in Figures3 and 4.Prior to these steps,it will be essential as part of the scoping to establish the CIAs objectives,key definitions,and terminology(see Sections 1.2 and 1.3),as well as the underlying principles for the CIA(Judd etal.,20

305、15;Willsteed etal.,2018a;see also Box 4 on enabling actions for CIA).3.3.1 Set spatial and temporal boundaries for cumulative impact assessmentThe spatial scale over which cumulative impacts are considered should be large enough to incorporate the distribution of the resource or system affected(e.g.

306、a flyway or a watershed)(OHanlon etal.,2023).There is no predetermined optimum spatial scale for CIA24 it should be appropriate for understanding cumulative effects and changes in the relevant biodiversity features such as VECs(see Section 3.3.2).Hence,confirming the appropriate spatial boundary for

307、 government-led or project-level CIA will be closely linked to identifying the VECs relevant for the CIA,and may be an iterative process.23 In addition to the information shared as part of the regulatory permitting process.24 In some cases,the courts have stepped in to define the spatial scale of as

308、sessment(MacDonald,2000).Ideally,the spatial scope of a government-led CIA will be as large as is feasible and appropriate,to reduce the requirement for multiple adjacent government-led CIAs and increase consistency.For practicality,assessments often fall within management areas and jurisdictions.He

309、nce,the spatial boundary for government-led CIA will usually align with available biodiversity baseline information,jurisdictional boundaries,and other administrative considerations.It may be set using administrative(e.g.regional,national,sub-national)or ecological boundaries where the default scale

310、 is likely to be national.Using administrative boundaries makes it easier to incorporate conclusions into existing legislation,administration structures and to align with national or regional conservation goals or targets.At the same time,it is also important to consider ecological boundaries(e.g.fo

311、r catchments,ocean basins,islands,ecoregions or flyways)that are relevant to the VECs being included.Species migration routes and foraging ranges during the breeding season(e.g.as shown in GPS tracking data)might provide useful information to define the spatial boundary(Thaxter etal.,2012;Pollock et

312、al.,2021).For the wind sector and flyways,especially,it is important that CIA at regional,national or sub-national scales is coordinated and considers how impacts may add to those elsewhere on the flyway(Busch&Garthe,2018).A balance is needed when setting spatial boundaries to ensure that assessment

313、s are ecologically meaningful but not so large-scale that they become unwieldy and unhelpful for decision making.Available budget and resources may be better spent on improving mitigation planning than on scaling up the geographical area of assessment.Where developers have no government-led CIA to d

314、raw on,the appropriate spatial scale for project-level CIA should be determined during initial ESIA scoping and subsequently reflected in the ESIA itself.The appropriate spatial scale must extend beyond the local,direct impact of a single development(IFC,2013;Noble,2022),but remain proportionate to

315、the scale of the Guidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructure19project and the likely scale or nature of potential cumulative impacts.The assessment area should be large enough to represent the effects of the project alongside th

316、ose of other human actions,to the point where the projects contribution is measurably distinct(Hegmann,2021).IFC(2013)suggests some rules of thumb:i)include the area that will be directly affected by the project;ii)list the important VECs(see Section 3.3.2)within this area;iii)define whether these V

317、ECs occupy a wider area beyond the area of direct project influence;and iv)consider the range over which a potential effect could occur,and other impacts the VEC might be exposed to across its range.To account for the different spatial distributions and responses of VECs(which may vary seasonally),s

318、maller assessment areas for particular VECs may be nested within the overall spatial boundaries when appropriate(e.g.for an ecosystem type in a landscape versus soaring birds in a regional flyway).Establishing the appropriate spatial scale for both government-led and project-level CIAs should involv

319、e stakeholder consultation(see Section 3.3.5),and it is likely to be an iterative process.Initial boundaries are often set based on expert judgement,and adjusted or refined as appropriate as information emerges(IFC,2013).In all cases,the basis for the final spatial boundary delineated should be docu

320、mented.With respect to the temporal boundaries for assessment,government-led CIA should be informed by national(or potentially regional)renewable energy targets and goals for developing the sector at a national level,within the spatial boundary for CIA.The temporal scope of assessment should also al

321、low for potential time lags in observed impacts,because these may persist beyond the lifetime of a project.For example,populations of long-lived and slow to breed species,such as vultures,may take many years to recover from an impact,since it can be several years before juvenile individuals enter th

322、e breeding population.In parallel,it is important that government-led CIA establishes a common biodiversity baseline 25 Threatened species are usually considered to be those evaluated as Critically Endangered,Endangered or Vulnerable,and potentially Data Deficient and Near Threatened.This determinat

323、ion may be made at a global(e.g.via the IUCN Red List),national or regional level.for all the planned development that needs to be considered within the defined spatial and temporal scope.Without a common baseline,it is challenging(or even impossible)to compare between impact assessments carried out

324、 for different projects.This is because the magnitude of an impact will be influenced by the starting point for a species population(among other things).Shifting baseline syndrome is a widely acknowledged issue in ecology(Soga&Gaston,2018).This means that impacts from historic anthropogenic pressure

325、s are likely to have influenced the population(s)concerned,although given the extent of anthropogenic pressures on the environment,it is unlikely possible to set a baseline that truly reflects the natural state of the population.Thus,a common baseline could,for example,be defined following the proce

326、sses set out in the EU Birds Directive(EU,2009),whereby a population at the time of designation is defined,and assessments are then made in relation to this population.3.3.2 Identify valued environmental componentsIdeally,conservation targets and management actions would be defined for every species

327、 and habitat and/or ecosystem with a governments jurisdiction or a projects sphere of influence.In practice,tracking all biodiversity features is unfeasible.Therefore,it is useful and pragmatic to identify a suite of biodiversity priority features for assessment and conservation actions.Although thi

328、s could be done in a variety of ways,the concept of VECs(Box 5)has been widely used and is an appropriate framework for prioritising features for cumulative impact assessment.Selection of VECs precedes assessment of potential impacts(and identification of cause-effect relationships).For government-l

329、ed CIAs,an initial VEC list is likely to comprise features that national or international processes have already identified as important,such as threatened25 or legally protected species,ecosystems,or other features,since these designations represent collective societal and scientific agreement on 2

330、0Guidance on biodiversity Cumulative Impact Assessment for wind and solar developments and associated infrastructureconservation priority.However,other features that may be particularly vulnerable to cumulative impacts should also be considered,such as species where population-level effects are most

331、 likely,because of their behaviour or demographic characteristics.These may be informed by previous assessments(Garthe&Hppop 2004;Furness etal.,2013;Kelsey etal.,2018),or analyses of species interactions with infrastructure(e.g.Thaxter etal.,2017).Additional VECs may be identified through consultati

332、on with key stakeholders.However,VECs valued by stakeholders may be different from those prioritised based on regulation or conservation status.26Key biodiversity datasets that could be useful in identifying VECs include the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(the IUCN Red List)or equivalent nationa

333、l/regional datasets(also used in vulnerability assessments),the IUCN 26 For example,Indigenous peoples and local communities may value biodiversity features for their cultural,spiritual,religious,or socio-economic significance,even if those features are common and/or widespread at the national level.27 VECs for CIA are synonymous with biodiversity receptors for project-level ESIA.Red List of Ecosy