Expert advisory and workshop facilitation for Accounting for Nature's crediting standards for carbon and nature credits
Accounting for Nature (AfN) is a leading standard for measuring the state of nature in a scientifically credible, practical and cost-effective way. However, operationalising this to allow corporates to assess changes over time, and attribute changes to their actions, including where environmental outcomes may underpin the generation of nature credits, requires consideration of complex topics such as additionality, leakage, reference states and counterfactuals which considered as challenges that sit at the cutting edge of state of nature measurement.
AfN wanted to ensure full consultation on their proposed approaches through the conservation and scientific community, to improve the feasibility and robustness of what they were proposing. Given our track record developing and reviewing biodiversity metrics for nature and carbon markets, The Biodiversity Consultancy (TBC) was appointed to provide expert advisory support and facilitate this consultation process.
Our approach
- Provided detailed technical reviews of AfN's frameworks, standards and methodologies to support their application within nature and carbon markets. Advised on the challenges of additionality, leakage and permanence when assessing biodiversity uplift.
- Provided guidance on measuring reference states.
- Advised on approaches for attribution and the claims that can credibly be made from them.
- Facilitated several in-person and online workshops to gather feedback from conservation scientists, ecologists, researchers, the private sector and NGOs.
Outcomes
Our review and facilitation provided AfN with clear recommendations for advancing their standards and methodologies, particularly in relation to the requirements of nature credit markets, including concepts such as additionality, leakage and counterfactuals.
By drawing in expert advice from the private sector, academia and conservation NGOs, and connecting AfN with our own network of biodiversity metrics specialists, we helped AfN improve the robustness of their standards, grounding them in leading conservation science and ecological knowledge, with input from a wide range of stakeholders.
This work supports AfN's standards in becoming more credible and operationally workable for corporates seeking to measure and report genuine, attributable improvements in ecosystem condition — helping accelerate the availability of robust, science-based tools for nature markets with strong buy-in from key stakeholders.
