指导生物多样性信贷市场的高级原则

High-Level

Principles

to

Guide

theBiodiversityCredit

MarketW

H

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E

PA

P

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2

0

25IncollaborationwithContentsForewordExecutivesummaryIntroduction1

High-level

principlestoguidethe

biodiversitycredit

market1.1Verified

positiveoutcomesfor

nature1.2

Equityandfairnessfor

people1.3Goodgovernancefor

high-integrity

markets

ConclusionAppendix:GlossaryoftermsContributorsEndnotesDisclaimerThisdocumentis

published

bytheWorld

Economic

Forumasacontributionto

a

project,

insight

area

or

interaction.Thefindings,interpretationsandconclusionsexpressedherein

are

a

resultofacollaborativeprocessfacilitated

andendorsedbytheWorld

Economic

Forumbutwhoseresultsdo

not

necessarilyrepresenttheviewsoftheWorld

EconomicForum,nor

the

entirety

of

its

Members,Partnersorother

stakeholders.©2025World

Economic

Forum.All

rightsreserved.

No

part

of

this

publication

maybereproducedortransmitted

in

anyformorbyany

means,

including

photocopyingandrecording,or

by

any

informationstorage

and

retrieval

system.34589141719202325High-LevelPrinciplestoGuidetheBiodiversityCreditMarket2Images:Getty

Imagesbiodiversitycredit

projectscanalso

bringsocial

and

economic

benefits,contributetoclimatemitigation

andadaptation,

helpstrengthen

human

healthand

well-being,andchangethe

relationship

betweencorporates,the

naturalworldand

itsstewards.Nature-basedcredits

havedrawnscrutiny

in

recent

years,especiallyaroundverificationofthe

benefits

theyclaimto

bringandtheir

impactson

Indigenous

Peoplesand

localcommunities.

However,giventhescaleand

urgencyofthetwin

climate

changeand

biodiversitycrises,all

possibletools

needtobe

usedandstepstakentoensure

that

they

areas

robustas

possible.

Dueconsideration

must

be

givento

howthisemerging

marketcan

beshaped,

suchthat

high-qualityand

high-integrity

biodiversity

creditsthatdrivegenuinely

positiveoutcomesfornaturearethedefault

ratherthanthe

exception,

and

theclaims

made

regardingthesecreditsarevalidandcredible.Atthesametime,despitetheir

outsized

role

innature

protectionandconservation,

IndigenousPeoplesand

localcommunities

have

historicallybeen

leftoutof

publicand

private

financeearmarkedfor

biodiversityconservation.Any

market

for

nature-basedcredits

must

involve

IndigenousPeoplesand

localcommunities

inthedesign

andoversightofthese

markets.This

must

includerespectingand

prioritizingthe

rightsof

Indigenous

Peoplesand

localcommunities,

includingtheir

right

toself-determinationandfree,

priorand

informedconsent(FPIC).The

high-level

principles,

produced

throughacollaborativeand

participatory

process,

areanattempttodothat,

by

outlining

key

principles

thatcreateaframeworkfor

high-qualitycredits.This

jointeffortalso

highlights

howcollaborationwill

be

crucialtoensuringthe

biodiversitycredit

marketachieves

itsambition.Byoutliningacommon

understandingof

goodpractice,the

high-level

principlescan

helpensure

biodiversitycreditsdrive

positive

benefitstobiodiversity,climateandourcollective

well-being.Biodiversity

is

in

crisis.

Morethana

millionplantandanimal

species

are

underthe

threatofextinction,andthe

rate

of

biodiversity

lossglobally

isestimatedto

be

100to

1,000timeshigherthanthe

backgroundextinction

rate.1

This

global

biodiversitycrisis

issignificant,

not

onlyforthesurvivalof

countless

species

but

also

forhumanwell-being.

Biodiversity

isessentialfor

our

existenceonthis

planet.We

rely

on

itfor

thingsbigandsmall,

rangingfromthe

stability

of

our

foodandwatersystemstothe

benefits

for

emotionaland

mentalwell-beingthat

naturecan

bring.The

naturalworld

isalsodeeply

culturally

and

spiritually

significantfor

many.

In

particular,

IndigenousPeoplesand

localcommunities

have

beenstewardsofthe

naturalworldfor

millennia,

and

areattheforefrontof

protecting

and

maintainingthe

world’s

biodiversity.Slowingdown,

haltingand

reversingthiscrisiswill

requirethe

mobilizationofvastamountsoffinance.The

biodiversityfinancegap

isestimated

at$700

billionayear.

Boththe

publicand

private

sectors

have

important

roles

inaddressingthisgapandensuringthe

restorationand

conservation

ofbiodiversity.Governmentsandthe

publicsector

havea

particularly

important

partto

play

in

preservingandfunding

biodiversityconservation

by

reducing

harmfulsubsidiesandtackling

pollutionandtrafficking.Target

19ofthe

Kunming-Montreal

Global

Biodiversity

Frameworkcallsforan

increase

infundingfromallsectorsto

$200

billion

peryear,

andTarget

19ccallsforthe

leveragingof

privatefinance,

byencouragingthe

privatesectorto

raise

resourcesand

invest

in

biodiversity.

Biodiversitycreditsareone

potential

mechanismthatcanhelpencouragethis

investment,andTarget

19dspecificallycallsforthedevelopmentof

biodiversity

creditsasatoolthat

can

help

mobilizefinance.The

positive

impactofbiodiversitycredits

goes

beyond

biodiversityandcontributestotheachievementofthe

United

NationsSustainable

DevelopmentGoals.When

properlydesigned,Amelia

FawcettCo-Chair,

International

AdvisoryPanel

on

Biodiversity

CreditsManesh

LacoulGlobalCoordinator,

BiodiversityCredit

AllianceAkankshaKhatriHead,

Nature

and

Biodiversity,

World

Economic

ForumSylvieGoulardCo-Chair,

International

AdvisoryPanel

on

Biodiversity

CreditsForewordHigh-LevelPrinciplestoGuidetheBiodiversityCreditMarket3High-integrity

biodiversitycreditscan

helpallocate

fundingtovitalecosystems,

reducing

nature-related

risksand

providing

benefitsforthe

IndigenousPeoplesand

localcommunitiesthatstewardthese

ecosystems.Toensure

marketsdeliverthesebenefits,

it

isessentialto

maintain

highstandards

ofenvironmentalandsocioeconomic

integrityin

biodiversitycredit

projects,avoiding

negative

environmental

impactsand

harmtocommunities.Widespreadconfidenceinthemechanicsofthemarketwillberequiredforlarge-scale

adoption

and

long-termsustainability.Theseelementswillbeachievedonlyiftheactorsinvolvedcan

demonstrate

thatbiodiversitycreditsareeffectiveand

alignedwith

societalgoalsfornatureandpeople.

In

addition,this

emerginginstrumentwillhavetodemonstratethat

thelessonsassociatedwiththedevelopmentofthe

voluntarycarbonmarketandotherconservationand

restorationactivitieshavebeen

learned.Anagreed-

uponhigh-qualityandhigh-integrityframeworkis,therefore,crucial.Thiswhite

paper,which

presentsasetof

principles

todemonstratethe

integrityofthesecredits,

isthe

resultofasharedworkinggroup

from

the

WorldEconomic

Forum,the

BiodiversityCreditAllianceandthe

InternationalAdvisory

Panelon

Biodiversity

Credits,whocollaboratedtodevelopthisguidance.

These

principlesare

intendedtofunctionasa

set

ofguidelinesfortheentire

biodiversitycredit

market,

helping

biodiversitycreditschemestoset

high-integritystandards,toguide

projectdevelopersto

generate

high-quality

biodiversitycreditsandto

enable

buyersto

make

informedchoices.The

principles

have

beencategorized

intothree

corethemes:1.

Verified

positive

outcomes

for

nature,

toensurescientific

robustnessoftheenvironmental

results.2.

Equity

and

fairness

for

people,to

ensurerespectforthe

rightsandtheactive

inclusionandfair

participationof

Indigenous

Peoplesand

localcommunities.3.

Goodgovernanceforhigh-integritymarkets,

toensurethefunctioningofthe

marketarchitecturefor

positiveoutcomes.Finally,these

principleswere

identifiedanddesigned

incollaborationwitha

broad

rangeofstakeholders

includingcivilsociety,

IndigenousPeoplesand

localcommunities,the

privatesector,

academiaandstandardsetters.The

principleswill

continuetoevolve

in

parallelwiththeevolution

ofthe

marketand

reflecttheemergenceandadoption

ofnewand

updated

integritystandards.ExecutivesummaryClearsocioeconomicandgovernance

principlesare

necessarytoensurethe

high

integrityofbiodiversity

credits.High-LevelPrinciplestoGuidetheBiodiversityCreditMarket4nascent

marketforvoluntary

biodiversitycredits,focusingon

principlesforgovernance,

equity

andinclusion,andverification.Sincethen,the

marketfor

biodiversitycreditshasgrown

rapidly,witha

proliferationof

creditmethodologies,

projectstandardsandpilotprojects

beingdeveloped,

in

boththevoluntaryand

regulatory

markets.

It

iscrucialthattheemergingmarket

learnsfromthe

many

lessonsassociated

withthedevelopmentofthevoluntarycarbonmarket,toavoid

instancesoflow

quality

and

low

integrity

leadingtoa

lackoftrust,and

doubt

over

thetangible

benefitsofsuch

projects.To

provide

reassuranceandclearguidancetothe

market,the

BiodiversityCreditAlliance(BCA),the

InternationalAdvisory

Panelon

BiodiversityCredits

(IAPB)andthe

Forumdecidedto

collaboratethroughthe

High-level

PrinciplesWorkingGroup.Thiswasdone

inconsultationwith

InternationalEnvironmentalGuardianship

(IEG),formerlytheCommunitiesAdvisory

Panel(CAP),to

integratethe

viewsof

Indigenous

Peoplesand

localcommunities.Biodiversitycredits

havethe

potentialto

be

avaluable

mechanismforfinancing

biodiversityconservationand

restoration.Asustainablemarket

requires

large-scaleadoption,which

inturnwill

requirewidespreadconfidencethatbiodiversitycreditsare

effective

and

alignedwith

societalgoalsfor

nature.

It

istherefore

crucialthatthe

market

hasanagreed-uponframeworktoestablishwhat

high-qualityand

high-integritycreditsare,and

howthey

can

be

used

to

generate

high-integrityclaims.Atthesametime,

biodiversity

is

highly

localizedanddifficulttodistil

in

numbers,

meaning

thatguidelinesalso

needto

beflexible

enough

toaccommodatedifferentcontextsand

ecosystems.

It

has

been

morethantwoyearssince

the

Global

Biodiversity

Frameworkwasagreed

uponatthe

Conventionon

Biological

Diversity

(CBD)

COP15

and

biodiversitycreditswere

identifiedas

a

toolthatcould

helpclosethe

biodiversity

finance

gap.Accompanyingthatannouncement,theWorldEconomic

Forum

publishedaset

of

high-levelgovernanceand

integrity

principlestoguide

theIntroductionAnestablishedframeworktodefinehigh

integrity

in

biodiversitycreditscan

ensuretheygenerate

benefitsfor

both

natureand

people.High-LevelPrinciplestoGuidetheBiodiversityCreditMarket5HowtheseprincipleswerecreatedThe

High-level

PrinciplesWorkingGroupaimedtodraw

principlesfroma

broad

rangeof

existingstandardsandguidelines

inorderto

create

a

unified

andwidelyagreed-uponsetof

principlesthatcouldapplytoalltypesof

biodiversity

credits,

both

regulatoryandvoluntary.The

principles

primarilyfocusondefiningcriteriafor

high-quality

biodiversity

credit

projects.

However,there

isalsoa

needtodefinethecriteriacovering

the

use

of

credits,

potentialclaimsassociatedwiththeir

purchaseand,

particularly

inthecaseofregulatory

markets,

howto

robustlyestablishequivalenceforany

loss

beingcompensatedfor.Theseareoutlined

briefly

in

High-level

Principle2,

Demand

Integrityandthe

Mitigation

Hierarchy,

butare

largely

beyondthescopeofthisdocumentandwill

bethe

focus

of

futureguidance.Theworkinggroupfirstconducteda

comparative

alignmentexerciseto

review

morethan20existing

standardsandguidelinesfrom

boththecarbonand

biodiversitycredit

marketsand

identifyareasof

consensusanddivergence.Once

keytopics

andareasofdivergenceweredetermined,

an

initial

set

ofconsolidated

principleswascirculatedto

BCA,

IAPB,the

Forumand

IEGstakeholders,to

invitecommentsandfeedback.

Basedonthethemeshighlighted

inthisfeedbackprocess,a

series

offocuseddiscussionswasheldwith

members

oftheworkinggroupto

buildconsensuson

existing

principles,aswellasto

identifytopicsthat

had

not

beenaddressed.Thesediscussionscentredon:ensuring

robustoutcomes,challengeswithcredits

in

marineecosystems,

respectfor

IndigenousPeoplesand

localcommunities,andan

additional

sessionto

providespaceforothertopicsthatarose

duringtheconsultation.Followingtheconsultation,adraft

ofthe

principles

wassentto

morethan60

organizationsthatwere

partofthewider

BCA,

IAPBand

Forumcommunitiestogatherfeedback.Additionally,regulardiscussionswere

heldwith

IEG,a

global,independent,self-governedgroupof

IndigenousPeoplesand

localcommunitiesfocusingontherisksandopportunitiesassociatedwith

biodiversity

credits.

Bilateralconsultationswerealso

heldwith

respondentswhoexpressed

interest

infurtherdiscussions.The

principles

havetherefore

beenformulated

bywayofanextensive

process

ofreviewandconsultation,aimingto

buildconsensus

amongdifferentstakeholders.Wherethereweredifferingstancesonexisting

principles,theworking

grouptriedto

balance

practicalconsiderationswitha

needfor

high

integrity,

highlighting

important

considerationsassociatedwithdifferentwaysofapproachingthe

issue

insections

marked

“Additional

Information”.ObjectiveThese

principlesare

intendedtofunctionasa

setofguidelinesfortheentire

biodiversitycredit

market,

helping

biodiversitycreditschemestoset

highintegritystandards,toguide

projectdevelopersto

generate

high-quality

biodiversitycreditsandto

enable

buyersto

make

informedchoices.Credit

schemesshouldensurethat

project

proponents

anddeveloperswhofollowtheirstandardsimplementthe

relevant

high-level

principlesontheground.The

principlessetout

guidelinesandexamplesofbest

practicearound

threecorethemes.First,

projects

mustensurethatthey

produce

verified

positiveoutcomesfor

nature.Second,

projectsshould

be

implemented

inwaysthatensureequityandfairness.The

rights

ofIndigenous

Peoplesand

localcommunities

must

befully

respected,

including

Indigenous

Peoples’

righttoself-determinationandto

FPIC.

Finally,projects

must

begoverned

inawaythatallows

fortransparencyandaccountability,ensuring

that

informationon

projectgovernanceandimplementation

is

madeavailable.ScopeandaudienceThe

high-level

principles

have

beendevelopedprimarilytoguidestandardsetters,

projectdevelopersand

buyersonthestandards,requirementsandother

importantconsiderations

necessarytodevelop

high-integrity

projects.While

keythemesgoverningthe

integrityofthe

marketasawholeare

highlighted,

morework

is

required,

particularlyon

principlescoveringthe

demandside.Anotherjoint

BCA-IAPB-Forum

workinggroup

has

beenestablishedto

provide

furtherguidanceondemand-side

integrity.Theseare

importanttoensurethatthe

overallimpactofthe

biodiversitycredit

market

is

positive.

Foranyschemeswherethe

use

case

includescompensationoroffsetting,additionaldetailedprinciplesare

required,coveringthemessuch

asequivalence,and

providingguidance

regardingwhat

claimscan

be

made,aswellas

howthe

purchase

ofbiodiversitycreditsfits

intoa

broader

approach

of

contributingtowardsthenature-positivegoalsofthe

Global

Biodiversity

Framework.High-LevelPrinciplestoGuidetheBiodiversityCreditMarket6StakeholderengagementAsthe

market

in

biodiversitycreditstakesshape,a

rangeofdifferent

participantswill

havea

roleto

play

in

helpingthe

marketachievescale.These

principles

have

been–andwillcontinueto

be–shapedthroughengagementwithavariety

of

organizations,

including:1.

CivilsocietyandNGOs:Civilsocietyorganizations(CSOs)andnon-governmentalorganizations(NGOs)have

key

rolesto

playinupholdingtheintegrityof

markets,

holdingbusinessesandprivate-sectororganizationstoaccountfortheirimpactsonnature,and

ensuring

thatbiodiversityprojectsachieve

realand

lasting

benefitsforbothnatureand

people.CSOs

and

NGOsmayalsobe

project

proponents.2.

IndigenousPeoplesandlocalcommunities:

Biodiversity

projectsare

necessarily

location-

basedand

mustthereforedeliver

realvalueto

Indigenous

Peoplesand

localcommunities

throughequitable

benefitsharing.

Indigenous

Peoplesand

localcommunities

mayalsobe

project

proponentsconsideringtheirfundamental

rightssuchasself-determination

and

FPIC.3.

Privatesector:Corporatesand

investorscan

purchase

biodiversitycreditstodemonstrate

theircommitmentto

mitigatingnature-related

risksand

impacts.

Business

innovatorscanprovidetechnologysolutionstoovercome

market-expansion

hurdles.

Businesses

mayalso,

insomecircumstances,

be

project

proponents.4.

Standard-settinginstitutions:Standardsarea

coresetofenvironmental,socialandgovernance

(ESG)

requirements,

includingapprovedmethodologiesand

metricsagainstwhichprojects

needto

beassessedand

measuredto

maintainqualityandgain

certification.5.

Publicsector:Governmentsand

regulatorscanenablethis

markettoscale

up

quicklyand

effectivelyvia

policysignalsand

regulationsthatgivecertaintyto

biodiversity

creditmarkets,eithervoluntaryorcompliance.Atimelyapproachanchored

intransparencyand

traceabilitycanavoidthecreation

of

paperprojectsand

unfairwealthcapture.Conversely,

inactionfromgovernmentsand

regulatorswill

hinder

progress

inthis

market.6.

Academia:Academicplayershave

afundamental

role

inverifyingthesoundnessofthe

marketfromascientific

perspective.Furthermore,

important

researchadvanceson

nature

metricsandtechnology

innovationscarriedforward

byacademic

institutionswill

play

acrucial

role

inthedevelopment

of

projects.Specificattention

is

necessarytoensure

a

bridge

between

Indigenous

knowledgeand

Westernscience.Whilethe

processofdevelopingthese

principles

soughttoengagewitha

broad

range

ofstakeholders,furtherongoingdissemination,

feedbackand

related

usecasesfor

howthese

principlescan

beapplied

iswelcomed.High-LevelPrinciplestoGuidetheBiodiversityCreditMarket7High-levelprinciplesto

guidethebiodiversity

creditmarketStakeholders

involved

in

biodiversitycredit

markets

needtodeliver

positive

outcomesfor

nature,fairnessfor

people

andgoodgovernance.The

principlesarecategorizedaroundthreecorethemes:verified

positive

outcomesfor

nature;

equity

and

fairnessfor

people;andgoodgovernancefor

high-integrity

markets.Overviewofthehigh-levelprinciples3Goodgovernance

andhigh-integrity

marketsHLP

18:

TransparentGovernanceStructureHLP

19:

DataSovereigntyHLP20:

Alignmentwith

FrameworksHLP21:

Tradability1

Verified

positiveoutcomesHLP

1:Defined

Biodiversity

Objectives

and

ActivityTypesHLP2:

Demand

Integrityandthe

Mitigation

HierarchyHLP3:Credit

Issuance

andTrackingHLP4:Ex-anteand

Ex-post

CreditsHLP5:AdditionalityHLP

6:

BaselinesHLP

7:

DurabilityHLP8:

LeakageHLP9:

Monitoring,

ReportingandVerificationHLP

10:Third-PartyAudits2Equityandfairnessfor

peopleHLP

11:

LegalandCustomary

Land

and

Water

RightsHLP

12:

Respecting

Human

Rightsandthe

Rightsof

Indigenous

PeoplesHLP

13:

Free,

Priorand

InformedConsent

(FPIC)HLP

14:

Indigenous

Peoples’and

LocalCommunities’

Involvement

inGovernanceHLP

15:

No

HarmHLP

16:

BenefitSharingHLP

17:

Grievance

MechanismHigh-LevelPrinciplestoGuidetheBiodiversityCreditMarket81FIGURE

1for

natureHLP1:

Defined

BiodiversityObjectivesandActivityTypesA.

Defined

biodiversityobjectives–Project

proponents

mustdefine

specificintendedobjectives

regarding

howtheprojectwill

benefit

biodiversity.Thisshould

normally

meanconservingor

restoringnaturalfeatures(suchas

species)

and/orecological

processesor

restoringtowardsa

naturalstateforthat

location(see

HLP

15B).–Projectproponents

must

prepare

a

credible

theoryofchangethatintendstoachievethe

definedspecificobjectivesoftheproject.The

theoryofchangemustbe

endorsed

bythe

governancebodyoftheproject

(HLP

18).–Thechoiceofbiodiversity

indicators

used

totrackthespecifiedobjectives

must

be

documentedanddisclosed,including

how

thechosen

indicatorsare

proxiesforother

biodiversityvalues

ifrelevant,and

evidence

thatthe

indicatorsare

responsivetotheplanned

projectactivities.–In

line

with

HLP

15B

(i.e.

biodiversitycredit

projects

mustcause

no

harmtobroadercommunities,

natureandclimate),

schemes

mustensureadequatesafeguards

to

prevent

projectsfromcausing

harmto

biodiversity.–Projectionsof

how

project

plans

may

impact

upon

natureshould

be

reviewedas

partof

theaudit

process.–Schemesthatallow

creditingforrestorationofbiodiversityto

a

non-natural

stateshould

provideclearcriteriafor

when

this

isacceptableandestablish

additional

safeguardstoensurealignmentwithglobalgoals.B.

Activitytypes–Any

non-extractiveactivitythatdoes

notresult

inenvironmental

harmand

resultsin

measurable,durableandadditionalbiodiversity

benefitsattributedtothe

project

is

permitted,as

longas

italigns

with

these

principles.–“Upliftandavoided-loss”credits

should

be

distinctfrom“maintenance”credits.–Stackingand

bundlingof

biodiversitycreditswithotherecosystem

services

should

beallowedonly

ifadequatetransparency

measurescan

be

put

in

placetosafeguardagainst

doublecountingandensureadditionality.Maintenance:Themaintenanceof

intactbiodiversitythrough

project

interventionssuchas

implementationofconservation

managementplans,effective

recognitionand

protectionofIndigenous

rightsandcustomary

usesalignedwith

conservationobjectives,conservationdesignationsandsustainablefinancingofconservation,indicated

bythe

preventionofchangedstructure,compositionandfunctionofthetargetecosystemorspecies

populations,orthe

preventionofincrease

inthreat

levels.

Inmaintenance

projects,

biodiversitywill

bethreatened

by

medium-or

long-

termthreats.Source:

BiodiversityCreditAlliance.(2024,

May).Issue

Paper

No.3:

Definitionofa

Biodiversity

CreditUplift:The

improvement

in

biodiversityfromproject

interventionssuchasecological

restoration

indicatedbythechangedstructure,

composition

andfunctionofthetargetecosystemor

speciespopulations,or

reduction

inthreat

measures.Avoided-loss:Thepreventionofdecline

inbiodiversity

resultingfrom

project

interventionssuchas

preservationor

landdesignationindicated

bythe

preventionofchangedstructure,compositionandfunctionofthetargetecosystemorspecies

populations,orthe

preventionofincrease

inthreat

measures.Avoided-loss

projects

willtypically

havedemonstrable,

imminentthreats

to

biodiversity.1.1BOX

1VerifiedpositiveoutcomesfornatureHigh-LevelPrinciplestoGuidetheBiodiversityCreditMarket9TerminologyHLP2:Demand

Integrity

and

theMitigationHierarchyA.

Biodiversitycreditschemesshoulddefine

and

publishclear

rulesaboutclaims

and

entryrequirementstoensurecreditsare

purchased

and

retired

inalignmentwiththe

mitigat