How much benefit do we get from ‘protection’? Guidance for biodiversity offsetting

Project 5.1.1 • Accurately estimating the benefits of an offset action is difficult, especially for offset actions aimed at preventing future biodiversity losses. • Overestimation of the amount of ‘averted loss’ achieved by protecting habitat is common, and this results in failure to achieve a ‘no net loss’ outcome from an offset. • Offsets that avert future biodiversity loss by protection will be most effective when the future risk of loss is genuinely high. • Estimates of such risk of loss must be based on a robust and logical approach. • A step by step framework has been developed to guide calculation of risk of loss at a site with and without an offset, and hence inform estimates of offset benefits. Use of the framework will increase confidence in offset calculations.