Earth Active began working on a major energy project, in a developing country in the Asia Pacific in 2023, supporting our client on meeting international financing requirements to deliver a biodiversity net gain across terrestrial and marine environments. Working with in-country specialists over several months, our team conducted a Critical Habitat Assessment (CHA) and a Residual Impact Assessment (RIA). 

The RIA identified: 

• habitat loss as the most significant impact due to direct project activities, and; 

• how much habitat of each type was affected. 

This helped the client in improving the mitigation of their project impacts, as well as understand offsetting requirements to achieve a net gain for biodiversity, in line with international lender standards. 

To further support the client and the net gain requirements, Earth Active completed an offset feasibility study following the CHA and RIA studies. Two of our biodiversity specialists visited the site and confirmed important information for the study in collaboration with partners on the ground. 

Earth Active’s work is designed to achieve: 

• conservation benefits for the key habitats impacted, as well as for over 100 critical species, including endangered and endemic species 

• protection of high conservation priority forest habitat  

• restoration of degraded areas 

Additional opportunities identified from our studies include: 

• species specific conservation plans, for example reducing bycatch of marine mammals 

• the importance of local community ownership of conservation projects 

• potential for social benefits through improvement of local access to ecosystem services and sustainable finance 

Please get in touch to find out more about this project or others in your sector.