Outlook: Potential for Further Improvement and Research on the Developed Typology of Biodiversity Offsets

Abstract

The state of the scientific knowledge and the practical evidence explored encourage the analysis and investigation of the various forms of (voluntary) biodiversity offsets. However, there are a number of critical aspects associated with them. Several of these have been extensively researched, e.g., the formulation of standards and methods for loss-gain calculations. Building on these premises, the present study has focused on the different types of implementation (i.e., governance, responsibilities, and drivers) of biodiversity offsets. Notwithstanding, three major research gaps persist: (1) The overarching question of appropriateness of and limits to offsets requires research at the interface of natural science, planning, and policy design on the one hand and social sciences on the other hand. (2) So far, little or no evidence exists where offsets have been evaluated, not at the individual project level, let alone systematically. An outcome oriented critical analysis of biodiversity offsets is needed both from a nature conservation point of view and to underpin the discourse on the question of appropriateness of offsets. (3) There is clearly a need for a broader evidence base at the global level as a prerequisite for the evaluation of the outcomes and effectiveness of offsets and consequently to delineate factors for success and failure and to establish best practice. Together with previous compilations of case studies, e.g., by the Business and Biodiversity Offsets Program, the evidence base compiled in this study could add to an international registry of biodiversity offsets and a global compilation of on-the-ground examples of biodiversity.