
The increasing demand for land and the resulting loss of species and biodiversity due to habitat destruction have become central issues in environmental policy. Biodiversity loss is primarily driven by land use and land-use changes. Although environmental auditing (LCAs) already provide insight into the impacts on biodiversity, end users of environmental audits often lack sufficient support for informed decision-making. To address this, the Department of Life Cycle Engineering (GaBi) has developed targeted tools based on its extensive expertise to meet these challenges.
A major breakthrough in this area was achieved in 2023 with the introduction of BioMAPS (Biodiversity Multi-Scale Assessment of Product Systems), a method developed on the basis of LANCA®. Our innovative approach enables the assessment of biodiversity impacts across the entire supply chain within the framework of environmental audits. BioMAPS can be used to evaluate biodiversity impacts at global, regional, and local levels, considering all three levels of biodiversity: species, genes, and ecosystems.
BioMAPS offers decision-makers a wide range of benefits:
BioMAPS provides a global dataset that supports background analysis worldwide. Country-average values are made available through a global risk map with a spatial resolution of 1 km. Provided that the relevant primary data is available, a foreground analysis can also be conducted, enabling more precise results. For example, exact data on fertilizer and pesticide use can be incorporated into the calculation of the land use intensity index.
The method is fully compatible with the LANCA® method mentioned above, allowing for seamless integration of results into broader land use assessments. In addition, biodiversity is set to be included in the upcoming update of the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methodology as part of the "land use" impact category.