Creating a Viable Solution for Biodiversity Certificates
How Can Businesses Prove Their Commitment to Biodiversity? BIO-CAPITAL’s Work Package 5 (WP5), led by UCLouvain, is developing a trusted Biodiversity Certification system to ensure transparency and credibility in conservation investments.
Companies worldwide are under increasing pressure to reduce their environmental impact. Many have turned to carbon offsetting as a way to compensate for their emissions, but biodiversity presents a far greater challenge. Unlike carbon, which can be measured in tons, biodiversity is complex, highly localized, and deeply dependent on specific ecosystems. Without a trusted system for verifying biodiversity gains, businesses risk engaging in conservation efforts that lack measurable impact or credibility.
Consider a hotel chain that wants to offset the ecological footprint of its resorts by investing in species-rich grassland restoration in Slovenia. While the intention is positive, how can the company be sure that its funding leads to real, measurable improvements? More importantly, how can customers trust that these efforts go beyond marketing claims? Without a reliable certification system, biodiversity conservation risks becoming vague and unverifiable—discouraging businesses from investing in meaningful ecological restoration.
BIO-CAPITAL’s WP5: Building a Credible Biodiversity Certification System
BIO-CAPITAL’s Work Package 5 (WP5) is addressing this challenge by developing Biodiversity Certificates, a standardized way to track and verify biodiversity contributions. Led by UCLouvain, this initiative brings together experts from Carbone 4, CZU, and CSCP, who will work to establish clear methodologies for assessing biodiversity improvements.
A key part of this effort involves designing a scientific framework for measuring biodiversity uplift. Since ecosystems vary widely, WP5 is developing a classification system that groups European landscapes based on their biodiversity potential. Using geospatial data, satellite imagery, and ecological fieldwork, researchers will define how different ecosystems respond to conservation efforts. By ensuring that biodiversity certificates are based on real, site-specific data, WP5 aims to create a certification process that is both scientifically rigorous and practically useful for businesses.
“A key ambition of the BIO-CAPITAL project is to develop a credible biodiversity certification system based on stakeholder engagement and geodata analysis. By combining AI-driven remote sensing with geostatistical methods, we can create robust indices that quantify biodiversity uplift. This certification will provide a trusted framework to reward those who actively enhance biodiversity capital, bridging the gap between conservation and economic value.” – Julien Radoux, UCL
Beyond measurement, WP5 is also working closely with stakeholders to ensure broad acceptance of biodiversity certificates. Businesses, policymakers, conservationists, and investors all need to trust that the system works. Through consultations and co-creation workshops, WP5 is engaging these groups to develop certification standards that align with both scientific best practices and market expectations.
A Use Case in Action: Restoring Slovenian Grasslands
One of the most exciting applications of WP5’s work is unfolding in Slovenia’s species-rich grasslands. These vibrant meadows, once home to an incredible diversity of plants and pollinators, are under threat. Land abandonment and modern agricultural practices have either left them overgrown or converted them into monoculture farmland, leading to a sharp decline in biodiversity.
“Through our work on the Slovenian use case, we aim to identify the key drivers of grassland biodiversity loss, detect barriers to conservation, and define measures to unlock financial flows for the restoration of biodiversity-rich landscapes. By mapping and evaluating financing options, policy directions, and investment opportunities, we are working toward a future where biodiversity protection is both ecologically and economically sustainable.” – Maruška Čuš, Pratensis
WP5 is exploring how Biodiversity Certificates could help reverse this trend by providing financial incentives for farmers and landowners who maintain or restore species-rich meadows. Using remote sensing, habitat assessments, and species monitoring, the team will measure biodiversity gains and translate them into a certification framework. This means that businesses looking to offset their environmental footprint could invest in these grasslands with confidence, knowing their contributions lead to real, measurable improvements.
A New Era for Biodiversity Finance
The development of Biodiversity Certificates represents a major step forward in conservation finance. WP5 is working to ensure that businesses can integrate biodiversity into their sustainability strategies with the same level of confidence and transparency as they do with carbon offsets. By establishing a robust classification system, defining clear assessment guidelines, and conducting real-world pilot projects, this initiative is laying the foundation for an entirely new market.
Biodiversity conservation is no longer just an environmental goal—it is becoming an investment opportunity. With a trusted certification system in place, businesses and investors can support ecological restoration while ensuring that their contributions lead to tangible, lasting impacts on the natural world.
