Guidance on Integrating Climate Change and Biodiversity into ...

EcosystemservicesvaluationGHG emissioncalculatorsEcosystem services can beused as additional oralternative assessmentcriteria within SEA, even at ageneric/strategic level e.g.what will be the effects on i)supporting services; ii)provisioning services; iii)regulating services; and iv)cultural services. See alsoecosystem services valuationbelow.The economic valuation ofecosystem services hasdeveloped significantly as apotential tool within impactassessment. Recent analysiswithin the TEEB and variousMember States indicate thisapproach has some potentialfor making clear theeconomic value ofbiodiversity. This in theorywould allow a more informedunderstanding of the societalimpact of a project.Valuation is a useful tool butthe most efficient use of theconcept of ecosystemservices within impactassessment may be indemonstrating that theenvironment is important tous rather than in quantifyingthe cost equivalence of thisimportance.Emission calculators seek toquantify the total GHG (oroften carbon alone) emissionsfrom an activity or project asa whole. Emissions can becalculated for operation orthe construction of a project.A range of calculators existand are generally based onGHG equivalents for certainindicators such as energyconsumption.Assessment and consideration ofalternatives — ecosystem servicescan provide important informationon the potential for multifunctionalityof an area whenconsidering alternatives. They canbe supplementary or an alternativeto the typical assessmentobjectives or criteria — e.g. anobjective ‘To protect and enhancebiodiversity’ might be re-cast inecosystem service terms ‘What willbe the effect on biodiversityprovisioning services?’ However,‘ecosystem services thinking’ couldalso provide an importantperspective in the same way thatlife cycle thinking provides widerbenefits to sustainable productand service provision beyondheavily data dependent life cycleanalysis/assessment.The time and resourcerequirements for ecosystemvaluation are significant and mayundermine its potential to supportimpact assessment practice whereresources are often limited. This isparticularly true at the strategicscale. It is possible to relateexisting valuation studies to adifferent area this can be useful atthe strategic scale but itseffectiveness is limited at morelocal levels due to the contextualnature of value.However certain ecosystemservices (i.e. provisioning services)can be relatively simply valued andmay add value to someassessments.Within SEA the focus should be onthe value of services and areasbroadly rather than specifically,this can be based on linking land orhabitat types to services usingexisting studies or stakeholder andexpert engagement.Depending on the level of detailcontained within your PP, it maybe possible to quantify possibleGHG emissions. This can beundertaken by consultants or viaonline tools where available.A number of consultancies operateGHG emissions calculators that canbe undertaken for individualprojects. Calculators can be foundonline though the accuracy andassumptions (such as the type offuel used to generate power, etc.)will vary and may not be relevanthttp://www.wri.org/publication/ecosystem-services-a-guide-fordecision-makersSheate W, Eales R, Daly E,Murdoch A, and Hill C (2008),Case study to develop tools andmethodologies to deliver anecosystem-based approach:Thames Gateway Green Grids,Project report NR0109, London,Defra, 2008, available athttp://randd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=NR0109_7429_FRP.pdfChapter 6 of TEEB for Local andRegional Policy makers considerseconomic valuation as part ofEIA and SEA practice:http://www.teebweb.org/localand-regional-policy-makersreport/Guide to valuing ecosystemservices:http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/natural/ecosystemsservices/valuing-ecosystemservices/Resources and Energy AnalysisProgramme (REAP) (see below)is a potentially useful strategiclevel emission calculator.The World Resource Instituteand World Business Council forSustainable Development havedeveloped and maintain thehttp://www.ghgprotocol.org/which includes a wide range ofsectoral GHG calculators andrelated tools and case studies.The Scottish Government isdeveloping a Quantitative64 <strong>Guidance</strong> on integrating climate change and biodiversity into SEA