New report on data and biodiversity measurement from the EU Business @Biodiversity Platform - Global Balance

Globalbalance co-authored the new the EU Business @ Biodiversity Platform report “Biodiversity measurement approaches for businesses and financial institutions: thematic report on biodiversity data.” Unlike previous reports by the platform, this Thematic Report does not focus completely on biodiversity measurement approaches, but is dedicated to the rapidly evolving area of biodiversity data. It aims to fill the gap between collecting and interpreting biodiversity data for its application in a business context and the demand from businesses and finance institutions for more clarity on biodiversity data in the same context.
Annelisa Grigg, Director of Globalbalance co-authored the report in order to provide more clarity on the biodiversity data that is suitable for use in a business context. The following chapters provide more detailed guidance on the complex landscape of biodiversity data by setting out:

• The landscape of biodiversity data
• Needs, challenges and potential solutions
• Types of data useful in biodiversity assessments and case studies on key data sources such as eDNA, remote sensing and spatial data sets



Key takeaways include recognition of the power of technological developments such as eDNA sampling methods and satellite technology for biodiversity measurement; the need for enhancements in data infrastructure, the need for capacity building for new technology access and the tailoring of public biodiversity data for business needs. The diversity in range, spatial and temporal applications of data tools can make accessing data costly and time consuming; guidance is given on when each would be most useful.
The report is based on a series of webinars on biodiversity data available here