Study shows how to use freely available data to balance economic development and environmental conservation

International study published in the journal Conservation Science and PracticeThis guide provides a simple and inexpensive way for fast-growing countries to plan and make decisions to balance economic development with environmental conservation and human welfare.

This study shows how simple analyses based on easily accessible biodiversity data can support the application “mitigation hierarchy”, a tool that helps ensure project developers avoid negative impacts on the environment, minimize and restore any damage, and compensate for any residual effects on nature.

The authors demonstrate how data from Google Earth can be used for mapping the locations of endangered species and ecosystems, identifying areas with important biodiversity that should be avoided and identifying degraded areas where developers could carry out environmental restoration to offset the effects of a project.

“Over 100 countries have or are creating policies that require developers to improve biodiversity outcomes by avoiding and minimising impacts and compensating for any residual impacts on biodiversity when necessary,” Dr. Kendall Jones, a conservation planning specialist at Wildlife Conservation Society, said the lead author. These policies are missing in many of the most biodiverse areas of the planet, which are also where development frontiers are rapidly eroding natural resources. The mitigation hierarchy is crucial to balance economic development and environmental conservation in these areas.

These techniques and methods are illustrated using a Mozambique case study. This is a nation that has experienced rapid economic growth over 30 years. This has led to environmental degradation and could have significant impacts in the future. Mozambique recently adopted legislation that requires developers to properly apply the mitigation hierarchy, which includes biodiversity offsets. The study’s findings helped inform the policy development process.

Dr. Hugo Costa, Mozambique’s Wildlife Conservation Society, was an author of the paper. He said that the study provided valuable guidance to fast-developing countries, which often face the problem of rapid development and insufficient data to inform the development of environmental policies.

Dr. Costa states that “showing how simple analyses can facilitate the application the mitigation hierarchy in countries such as Mozambique, this article provides conservationists with the tools to ensure that we are able to reach national and international biodiversity goals without pursuing economic growth goals.”

Dr. Costa stressed that the mitigation hierarchy is important for ensuring that local people are included in project development.

“This is not just about biodiversity. Costa explained that the mitigation hierarchy can be applied with rigour to ensure the well-being in communities. It also allows us safeguard the well being of communities and ensure developers design measures that include local residents as part of the solution, improving people’s livelihoods.