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Biodiversity Integrated Assessment and Computation Tool | B-INTACT – Guidelines

Second edition











FAO. 2021. Biodiversity Integrated Assessment and Computation Tool | B-INTACT – Guidelines. Second edition. Rome. 




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    Book (stand-alone)
    Biodiversity Integrated Assessment and Computation Tool | B-INTACT – Guidelines 2020
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    Biodiversity loss is accelerating at an unprecedented rate across the planet putting a great number of species on the brink of extinction. A decline in the plants, animals and micro-organisms threatens food security, sustainable development and the supply of vital ecosystem services. In order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda, there is an urgent need to take action to halt biodiversity loss and consequently ecosystem degradation. Since the introduction of the Aichi targets, released by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2010, the United Nations have been empowered with greater influence on decision-making impacting biodiversity. However, there was an urgent need for an easy-to-use tool to rapidly, yet effectively assess the impact on biodiversity posed by projects, programmes and policies. As a timely response, the EX-ACT team from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has developed the Biodiversity Integrated Assessment and Computation Tool (B-INTACT). B-INTACT uniquely seeks to extend the scope of environmental assessments to capture biodiversity concerns, which are not accounted for in conventional carbon pricing. The tool is designed for users ranging from national investment banks, international financial institutions and policy decision-makers, and allows for a thorough biodiversity assessment of project-level activities in the Agriculture, Forestry and Land Use (AFOLU) sector while maintaining the logic of the EX-ACT model.
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    Brochure, flyer, fact-sheet
    Biodiversity Integrated Assessment and Computation Tool | B-INTACT
    Mainstreaming biodiversity impacts into agricultural investments and policies
    2020
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    In recent decades, concerns have grown around the environmental impact of the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) sector, more specifically on the impact of agricultural activities on biodiversity. Since the introduction of the Aichi targets, released by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 2010, the United Nations have been empowered with greater influence on decision-making impacting biodiversity. The Biodiversity Integrated Assessment and Computation Tool (B-INTACT) uniquely seeks to provide a thorough biodiversity assessment of project-level activities in the AFOLU sector, taking on both a quantitative and a qualitative approach.
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    Book (series)
    Valuing forest ecosystem services: a training manual for planners and project developers 2019
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    The degradation of ecosystems, including forests, and the associated loss of biodiversity, particularly due to human-induced threats and climate change, has gained increased attention from scientists and policymakers. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment presented a new conceptual framework that puts ecosystem services at the centre and links human well-being to the impacts on ecosystems of changes in natural resources. The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity initiative drew further attention to the economic benefits of conserving ecosystems and biodiversity, supporting the idea that economic instruments – if appropriately applied, developed and interpreted – can inform policy- and decision-making processes. Only a few ecosystem services, however, have explicit market value and are traded in open markets: many – especially those categorized as having “passive-use” value – remain invisible and are rarely accounted for in traditional economic systems. The failure to appropriately consider the full economic value of ecosystem services in decision making enables the continued degradation and loss of ecosystems and biodiversity. Most ecosystem services are considered public goods and tend to be overexploited by society. Many methods have been applied to the economic valuation of ecosystem services. The use of these methods, as well as the interpretation of their results, requires familiarity with the ecological, political, normative and socio-economic context and the science of economics. Recognizing, demonstrating and capturing the value of ecosystem services can play an important role in setting policy directions for ecosystem management and conservation and thus in increasing the provision of ecosystem services and their contributions to human well-being. The aim of this manual is to enhance understanding of ecosystem services and their valuation. The specific target group comprises governmental officers in planning units and field-level officers and practitioners in key government departments in Bangladesh responsible for project development, including the Ministry of Environment and Forests and its agencies. Most of the examples and case studies presented herein, therefore, are tailored to the Bangladesh context, but the general concepts, approaches and methods can be applied to a broad spectrum of situations. This manual focuses on valuing forest-related ecosystem services, including those provided by trees outside forests. It is expected to improve valuation efforts and help ensure the better use of such values in policymaking and decision making. Among other things, the manual explores the basics of financial mathematics (e.g. the time value of money; discounting; cost–benefit analysis; and profitability and risk indicators); the main methods of economic valuation; examples of the valuation of selected ecosystem services; and inputs for considering values in decision making.

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