A new commentary article titled, Towards high-integrity biodiversity credits: balancing commensurability, ecological complexity and governance has just been published, highlighting the need for systemic transparency and regulatory oversight.
The work was led by IFB Theme leader Prof. Franziska Schrodt and fellow Dr Eun Hye Kim, in collaboration with the University of Nottingham, the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), and the University of Lausanne.
The paper reviews 11 major biodiversity credit suppliers against six integrity criteria defined by the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits (IAPB). Results show an average score of 2 out of 3, with strengths in scientific grounding of metrics but notable weaknesses in verifiable outcomes, particularly relating to the independence of third-party validation and verification, and transparency in risk disclosure.
Franziska, senior author of the study, warned:
Major international bodies like the International Advisory Panel on Biodiversity Credits (IAPB), the World Economic Forum, and the UNDP-supported Biodiversity Credit Alliance recently set out guidance but the real test is turning those principles into action, and we’re not there yet.
The lead author, Eun, said:
We cannot afford to repeat the trial-and-error approach - the hard lessons learned from the carbon market make this clear. The stakes are too high for anything less than rigorous standards from the outset.
The full article can accessed in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Suggested citation: Kim Eun Hye, Dellecker Adrian, Field Richard, Stephenson P. J. and Schrodt Franziska (2025) Towards high-integrity biodiversity credits: balancing commensurability, ecological complexity and governance. Proc. R. Soc. B. 29220250990