Workstream 2:
Innovation for Biodiversity and
Business
Context and objectives
Guy Duke
Independent Consultant and
Workstream leader
Brussels, 21/11/2014
Workstream objectives
 Showcase innovative business models and
companies involved in green infrastructure and
ecological restoration (though other relevant business
innovations might also be showcased);
 Identify priorities for further research on critical
issues relating to these innovations and opportunities
for their further development;
 Analyse opportunities at EU level to foster new
business models, such as benefit corporations, which
might contribute to nature and biodiversity objectives.
EU Business and Biodiversity Platform
Objectives
Approach
Key findings
Further work
Approach and method
 Call for evidence from members, observers and representatives
(4/4 – 15/5)
 Analysis of responses to the call for evidence, and further
contextual research.
– Relevance to GI/restoration/Biodiversity Strategy; potential
benefit to biodiversity; potential benefit to businesses, jobs &
growth; ease of implementation; additioal R&D &/or
policy/regulatory action needed.
 Development of innovation case studies
 Draft and finalise report on the Innovation Workstream, in
discussion with client and B@B members, observers and
representatives.
 Showcase report and case studies on website.
EU Business and Biodiversity Platform
Objectives
Approach
Key findings
Further work
Key findings - overview
 21 valid submissions:
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Full members: 6
MS members: 1
Observers: 5
Representatives: 2
Other B@B members (non-members Innovation): 3
Other non-members of B@B: 4
 All identified innovations/new business models
 Around half identified research needs
 Most identified barriers and opportunities to foster the
innovation/model
EU Business and Biodiversity Platform
Objectives
Approach
Key findings
Further work
Key findings - innovations
 Strong EU policy context for innovation for B&B, GI &
restoration, recent work of relevance
 Innovation case studies for:
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Green infrastructure
Ecological restoration
Tools and standards for NC&ES accounting and management
Biodiversity offsetting
Knowledge platforms
Recycling
Ethical investment
EU Business and Biodiversity Platform
Objectives
Approach
Key findings
Further work
Key findings – research needs
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Green infrastructure
– legal frameworks, pilots, scaling up, market replication
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Ecological restoration
– new technologies, pilots, costs and benefits, pilots, scaling-up, market replication
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Innovative tools and standards for NC & EA accounting
– scoping of and access to datasets, technological development of tools,
incorporating a wide range of ES, valuations at property scale

Offsetting
– demand and supply at MS and regional levels, costs and benefits by sector,
demonstration, pilots, scaling-up, market replication

Recycling
– Adaptation of models from third countries to EU context, scaling-up, market
replication
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Ethical investment
– Technical and technological issues relating to reed harvesting
EU Business and Biodiversity Platform
Objectives
Approach
Key findings
Further work
Key findings – opportunities to foster new
business models
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Green infrastructure
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Ecological restoration
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Development of a regulatory framework based on NNL/NG principle and with requirement to
offset residual impacts in wider countryside, encouragement of 3rd party market-based
approaches (EBL).
Recycling
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Funding of collaborative work with NGOs (Heidelberg), regulatory simplification, sharing of
experience, benchmarking (VICAT), legal assurances for developers providing ‘temporary
nature’ (GDF Suez), regulated markets for compensation/offsets (Ibero-rest), PPP (SAR
Consult),
Offsetting
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Adjusting/strengthening regulatory requirements (RGV, Suez), development of partnership
models (Lafarge), common standards and anaytical tools (Shell)
Regulatory requirements for recycling of fishing gear, other marine litter (ECNC,
Interface/ZSL)
Ethical investment
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Development of quality standards (for reed pellet fuel) (Fieldfare)
EU Business and Biodiversity Platform
Objectives
Approach
Key findings
Further work
Possible further work
 A broader and more exhaustive review of innovation for B@B.
 A more detailed analysis of ‘most promising opportunities’ for
business contribution to no net loss / net gain.
 Assessment of key regulatory developments needed at EU
level to foster the most promising innovations for B@B.
 More detailed assessment of opportunities to develop social
enterprise models for business and biodiversity in the EU.
 Assessment of how to develop PPP & other partnership
models to scale-up most promising innovations for B&B.
 Assessment of key standards and tools that could be
developed at EU level to foster most promising innovations for
B@B.
EU Business and Biodiversity Platform
Objectives
Approach
Key findings
Further work
Workstream 2:
Innovation for Biodiversity and
Business
Green infrastructure (GI)
Duska Disselhoff
Green Infrastructure
programme manager
Royal Dutch Shell
Brussels, 21/11/2014
GI EXAMPLE 1 – PDO NIMR FIELD, OMAN
Design and creation of a semi-natural ecosystem managed to treat
wastewater to specification
Green solution; Constructed wetlands
Grey solution; oil/water separation tanks
Benefits of GI solution:
Economic
Environmental
Social
Significantly reduced OPEX
due to elimination of water
injection equipment (power
consumption of injection
pumps)
Bio-sequestration of ambient
CO2. Creation of migratory bird
habitat (more then 100 species
detected).
Use effluent water as irrigation
source to grow cash crops.
Greening the desert.
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GI EXAMPLE 2 – SHELL PIPELINE COMPANY, USA
Design of semi-natural ecosystem managed to improve embankment
stability and sedimentation around the pipeline corridor
Green solution; living shorelines
Grey solution; man-made bulk heads
Benefits of GI solution:
Economic
Environmental
Social
Reduced maintenance costs
due cost effective control of
erosion and sediment washouts (appreciating)
Creation of habitat for benthic,
estuarine, shallow water, and
intertidal organisms. Improved
water purification and nutrient
cycling
Enhanced coastal resilience
and improved livelihoods for
local communities
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UNCONVENTIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
Business innovation
Industry
partnerships
Nature conservation
Science &
Policies
Shared value creation
Research &
Innovation
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Workstream 2:
Innovation for Biodiversity and
Business
Innovative Tools and Standards at
Landmarc Support Services
John Ferry
Technical Director
Jacobs
Brussels, 21/11/2014
Background
• Landmarc Support Services to UK DTE
• 1% of UK land surface
 Pilot GIS Based Natural Capital Land Use
Decision Support tool
 Looks at natural capital, ecosystem service
assets and constraints
 Determine characteristics of a user-defined area
 Find areas that meet user-defined criteria
Data Transformation and Pilot Sites
A 4-step process was used to convert datasets:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Conversion / combination
Scaling
Normalisation
Calculation of z-score
Datasets
NATURAL CAPITAL (Bio, hydro, litho and Atmosphere)
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Biodiversity Importance
Biomass Carbon (tC.ha-1)
Topographic Wetness Index
Soil Carbon (%)
Solar Radiation (W.m-2)
Wind Speed (m.s-1)
Air Quality Index
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES/OPPORTUNITIES
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Cultural Value
Potential Value of Solar Radiation (£.m2.yr-1)
Potential Value of Wind Energy (£.m2.yr-1)
CONSTRAINTS
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Environmental Designations
Research and Development
 Can provide Real-time organisational decision support
 Can be scaled national and local
 Big Data
 Link into existing databases
 Validation of data
 Shared data
 Allow use of local datasets with higher resolution
 Link v2 to NCA and PES
 New functions and queries
Workstream 2:
Innovation for Biodiversity and
Business
Innovation for ‘Temporary Nature’
Nele Aerts
Senior Consultant Policy
Advice & Sustainability
Tractebel Engineering
Brussels, 21/11/2014
Tractebel Engineering
PUBLIC
INNOVATION FOR ‘TEMPORARY NATURE’
Temporary Nature (TN)
Applied to: Areas not belonging to a green zoning category at the start.
When:
Pending the realisation of the land use defined by its zoning
category.
What:
Nature development is temporarily allowed, and can later be
taken away again. All with a maximum legal certainty for the
landowner or project developer.
 We developed and refined the concept for Flanders at the request of the
Agency for Nature and Forest
 The concept is already implemented in the Netherlands and as a result of
our work the concept will also be launched in Belgium (Flanders)
 We’re looking for pilot projects within GDF SUEZ to make our group one
of the pioneers for this type of sustainable use of terrains
21/11/2014
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Tractebel Engineering
21/11/2014
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PUBLIC
 In the pre-development period of sites (several years):
 Nature values are allowed instead of avoided
 Vegetation and species can use the site – biodiversity increases and spreads to the surroundings
 Site management costs are reduced for the landowner
 Green identity of the landowner is confirmed and strengthened
 Permission is given in advance to remove TN as soon as site development will take off (legal certainty)
 When site development takes off:
 All (protected) nature is removed from the site according to the conditions that are agreed on in
advance (by permission)
 No nature compensation is required
 There are no risks for delaying the site development due to presence of protected nature values
 (Protected) species had benefits from the habitat that was created temporarily and move on to new
habitats
Tractebel Engineering
21/11/2014
PUBLIC
 Benefits for business:
 Strengthens the importance that the landowner/project developer attaches to his green image
 Offers opportunities to create a new and very tangible commitment with nature organisations,
which can be involved in the development, monitoring… of the sites
 Reduction of costs e.g. area management costs (mowing, spraying…)
 Management of risks that occur when starting the site development
 Benefits for biodiversity:
 Additional space for nature (Europe-wide application would create a large additional temporary
network)
 Different species will benefit to different extents. Even though Temporary Nature will be
removed eventually, it will overall yield a permanent gain for nature
 Barriers to development:
 Nature protection laws (particularly EU Habitats and Bird Directives)
 Theses issues can be resolved in national legislation of Member States (as confirmed by the
EC)
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Workstream 2:
Innovation for Biodiversity and
Business
Rob Wolters, Chief Executive ECNC Land & Sea Group
Innovation for Recycling/Reducing
Pollution Pressures on Nature
Veronika Mikos
Senior Project Manager
ECNC
Brussels, 21/11/2014
Healthy Seas – a journey from waste to wear
Biodiversity benefits
Recovering ghost nets from seas and shipwrecks (biodiversity
hotspots)
• 20,000 kg in 2013, 30,000 kg in 2014, and more to come!
Preventive measures through cooperation with fishing industry
(300 fishing boats) and harbours (such as Oostende, Den Oever,
Ancona)
Raising awareness of healthy seas
• Consumers / concerned citizens
• Policymakers
• Inspiring best practice case for businesses
Business benefits
Fishing (related) industry – transport, fisheries and fish farms
• Cost saving, improved image, CO2 reduction
Recycling industry
• Innovative technology, frontrunners in the market, resource
saving
Producers & Retail – currently the carpet, socks and swimwear
industry
• Contribute to CSR, promotional benefits, innovators
Workstream 2:
Innovation for Biodiversity and
Business
Panel discussion
Brussels, 21/11/2014