Integral Sustainability, South Fremantle, WA, Australia.
Research Unit for Environmental Sciences and Management, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa.
Environ Manage. 2021 Feb;67(2):424-435. doi: 10.1007/s00267-020-01415-0. Epub 2021 Jan 22.
Biodiversity offsets have become a widely accepted means of attempting to compensate for biodiversity loss from development, and are applied in planning and decision-making processes at many levels. Yet their use is contentious, and numerous problems with both the concept and the practice have been identified in the literature. Our starting point is the understanding that offsets are a kind of biodiversity compensation measure through which the goal of no net loss (or net gain) of biodiversity can be at least theoretically achieved. Based on a typology of compensation measures distinguishing between habitat protection, improvement (including restoration, habitat creation and improved management practices) and other compensation, we review the literature to develop a framework of conditions that must be met if habitat protection and improvement initiatives can be truly considered offsets and not merely a lesser form of compensation. It is important that such conceptual clarity is reflected in offset policy and guidance, if offsets are to be appropriately applied and to have any chance of fully compensating for biodiversity loss. Our framework can be used to support the review and ongoing development of biodiversity offset policy and guidance, with the aim of improving clarity, rigour and therefore the chances that good biodiversity outcomes can be achieved.
生物多样性补偿已成为一种广泛接受的方法，旨在弥补发展带来的生物多样性损失，并在许多层面的规划和决策过程中得到应用。然而，其应用存在争议，文献中已经指出了该概念和实践中存在的诸多问题。我们的出发点是理解补偿是一种生物多样性补偿措施，通过该措施至少可以从理论上实现生物多样性零净损失（或净增益）的目标。基于区分栖息地保护、改善（包括恢复、生境创造和改进管理实践）和其他补偿措施的补偿措施分类法，我们回顾了文献，制定了一个框架，阐明了如果要真正将保护和改善生境的举措视为补偿，而不仅仅是补偿的一种较低形式，必须满足的条件。如果要正确应用补偿并完全弥补生物多样性损失，那么补偿政策和指导中就必须反映出这种概念上的清晰性。我们的框架可用于支持对生物多样性补偿政策和指导的审查和不断发展，旨在提高清晰度、严谨性，从而提高实现良好生物多样性成果的机会。
