BREEAM approves CLIMB for biodiversity calculations

The international certification body BREEAM* has now officially approved CLIMB as a method for demonstrating biodiversity benefits. This confirms CLIMB's role as a standardized and scientific approach to assessing biodiversity in construction and development projects.

CLIMB stands for Changing Land use Impact on Biodiversity. The method has been developed by Ecogain and several major Swedish companies, together with leading researchers and experts in biodiversity. CLIMB enables land use stakeholders to assess and quantify their efforts to conserve and enhance biodiversity in different environments.

- Those who have certified their construction projects can now demonstrate that they have achieved real biodiversity benefits. The ability to use CLIMB will not only speed up the certification process but also provide a framework for measuring and reporting biodiversity benefits in a transparent and credible way," says Agnes Sandström, landscape architect at Ecogain.

*BREEAM stands for Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, and is an internationally recognized certification method for construction and development projects.

FACTS CLIMB

CLIMB, Changing Land Use Impact on Biodiversity, is a model for estimating the current situation and the positive and negative impacts of land use change on biodiversity. 

CLIMB can be applied, inter alia, to:

  • compare localizations and layouts

  • understand and evaluate the different impacts of investments 

  • increase predictability in environmental assessment

  • enable follow-up against targets

  • report impacts on biodiversity

  • develop new biodiversity indicators

The basic formula for the measurement tool is based on the British DEFRAS Biodiversity Metric, but in CLIMB it has been further developed and adapted to Nordic conditions. CLIMB uses standardized input data and expert knowledge to plan, prioritize and calculate parameters for restoration and compensation - resulting in profitability for both the company and nature.

CLIMB is a collaborative project with Ecogain, Talga, Vattenfall, Sveriges Bergmaterialindustri, Skanska, Svenska Kraftnät, Svemin, Boliden, LKAB, Specialfastigheter, Skellefteå Kraft, Heidelberg Materials.

Over 200 people got involved and provided important feedback.

An Advisory Board with representatives from the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, SLU, Lund University, Chalmers, IIASA, Anthesis, Skellefteå Kraft and Ecogain has been continuously involved in the method development work.

The project is part of the Strategic Innovation Program Swedish Mining Innovation and is a joint effort by Vinnova, Formas and the Swedish Energy Agency.

Ecogain organizes courses to get started with CLIMB for planning, reporting, business strategy, ordering or own calculations.

More information on CLIMB:

www.ecogain.se/climb | www.climb.ecogain.se | CLIMB will be a pioneer in the fight for biodiversity

Emma Lindberg