By 2030, the services nature provides for free are estimated to cost the global economy 2.7 trillion dollars
In 2021, the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), an international agreement to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030. With this in mind, organisations across the globe are seeking solutions to better understand and measure the relationship between business and nature.
To meet this challenge, Google partnered with our team at NGIS, and Second Nature Ecology + Design.With these partners, we aimed to augment the existing TraceMark platform with nature-related risks and impact information for any company assessing their own supply chain sites. While “top-down” geospatial data gives us the 'what' and 'where' of environmental risk, the “bottoms-up” on-the-ground assessments are essential to understand the 'who' (the specific species of local importance) and the 'how' of effective intervention.
To align on methodologies, companies are focused primarily on the frameworks from the Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN). The TNFD provides a framework for assessing and disclosing nature-elated risks and opportunities, structured around four pillars: governance, strategy, risk management and metrics/targets. The TNFD guidance promotes the use of metrics like land use change, water stress and greenhouse gas emissions, emphasizing materiality (relevance to the business) and spatial specificity (relevance to a very specific location).
Testing the solution at Google’s facilities in the Red River Delta Region of Northern Vietnam
The method was piloted at two of Google’s operational facilities based in the Red River Delta Region of Northern Vietnam.
Stage 1. Data Baseline
TraceMark provided a foundational ecosystem assessment that resulted in a compilation of 5000 potential species.
Stage 2. Data Filtering
The next step was to identify species that are tolerant to human-developed areas.
Stage 3. Applying Local Context
Local subject matter experts were engaged to identify species with significant cultural, economic and biodiversity importance.
Stage 4. Data Validation
Field surveys confirmed the species’ local present, resulting in the identification of 217 species. This list serves as a focused guide for Google to support their most significant local biodiversity.
The results
The final focal species database enables Google to immediately identify the levers that had the highest mitigation impact:
39% of focal species could benefit from water-related interventions (e.g., pollution cleanup.
31% of focal species could benefit from nesting habitat improvements.
TraceMark is redefining how organisations measure and manage their impacts on nature. Download the Assessing Biological Ecosystems in Consumer Electronics Supply Chains white paper.