Session Description
Impact assessment practitioners are increasingly operating in a landscape shaped by biodiversity credits, nature-related claims, and emerging disclosure frameworks. Major international initiatives are developing new methodologies, standards, and governance approaches for measuring and communicating biodiversity outcomes. As a result, concepts such as baselines, counterfactuals, additionality, permanence, uncertainty, monitoring, verification, and transparency are becoming increasingly important across both impact assessment and nature market systems.
The growing convergence of these fields presents opportunities for mutual learning, but also raises important questions. Many of the concepts underpinning nature markets and disclosure frameworks have strong parallels with established impact assessment practice. However, they are often being developed to serve different needs and audiences. As these disciplines continue to evolve, there is value in ensuring their approaches remain informed by one another rather than diverging.
This session will explore how emerging approaches for measurement, claims, and disclosure frameworks in the context of nature markets intersect with impact assessment practice. Through case studies, policy perspectives, and practitioner experience, speakers will examine where approaches are converging, where tensions remain, and how lessons from each field can strengthen the credibility, transparency, and effectiveness of the other. The discussion will consider how impact assessment can contribute to the development of robust nature markets.
Session Summary
This session explores the intersection of impact assessment, nature-related credit markets and claims, and disclosure frameworks. It examines shared concepts, emerging differences in measurement approaches, and opportunities for mutual learning, including how IA can contribute to the development of robust nature markets.
Session Chair
Martine Maron
The University of Queensland, School of the Environment
Australia
Session Co-chair
Stephen Edwards
Forest Stewardship Council
Switzerland