Biodiversity as a project lever
While public and private players are multiplying their climate and biodiversity commitments (PACB, SRB, SNB, Europe 2030), the absence of proof remains the blind spot in the ecological transition. IRICE proposes a solution: measure, certify, demonstrate.
Introduction
Commitments to biodiversity are multiplying at all levels. The City of Paris is structuring local mobilization through the Pacte Paris Action Climat Biodiversité (PACB). The Île-de-France region is implementing a Regional Biodiversity Strategy (SRB). The French government has a national SNB aligned with European objectives. Europe, for its part, is aiming for an ambitious framework by 2030. But the question remains: what guarantees are there that the commitments made will actually produce measurable ecological benefits?
At IRICE, we believe that biodiversity can no longer remain a field of commitment without evaluation. It must become a field of proof.
1. Growing but uneven mobilization
1.1. The local level: the City of Paris' PACB
The Paris Action Climat Biodiversité Pact, reformed in 2022, brings together some 50 economic players who commit to predefined environmental actions. The scheme offers :
- a catalog of 28 operational actions,
- thematic working groups,
- a declarative reporting system.
But it does not include a method for independently assessing the ecological impact of these actions.
1.2. Regional level: SRB Île-de-France
SRB 2022-2030 stresses the need to reconnect ecological webs, integrate biodiversity into development projects, and strengthen the traceability of effects. It explicitly calls for objectification tools.
1.3. The national level: the SNB 3rd edition
The National Biodiversity Strategy places assessment at the heart of its implementation, without yet imposing a uniform framework. It places the burden of proof on the players involved. What is lacking today is a common operational methodological frame of reference at project level.
1.4. The European level: Biodiversity 2030
The European Union's strategy calls for :
- restoring urban ecosystems,
- traceability of economic players' commitments (via CSRD, green taxonomy, SFDR),
- integrating biodiversity into CSR governance.
It recognizes the need for robust, auditable tools, but does not yet require their use in the field.
2. Unmet need: objectifying biodiversity performance
A structural gap persists between policy and practice in the field:
- Commitments are valued, but rarely translated into indicators.
- Projects are accredited, but rarely scientifically evaluated.
- Actions are visible, but their effects on ecosystems remain unclear.
A methodological link is missing: a framework capable of linking intention, implementation and impact.
3. The IRICE response: proof, method, certification
IRICE is at this crossroads. As an independent third-party certifier, we have developed tools that :
- translate major guidelines (PACB, SRB, SNB, Europe) into measurable criteria,
- allow project owners to demonstrate their commitment to biodiversity,
- are integrated into the CSRD, ESG and sustainable finance frameworks.
Effinature reference systems :
- EVO for existing buildings,
- NCO for new buildings,
- HOR for multi-site operations with a biodiversity horizon,
- HVE for high ecological value in landscaping.
Biodiversity Performance Score (BPS):
A cross-disciplinary, non-labeling tool designed to diagnose the ecological performance of a project according to 6 recognized criteria (functionality, pressure, dynamics, cohabitation, evidence, sustainable finance).
4. Towards a unified proof architecture
By making the contribution of projects to biodiversity legible, comparable and verifiable, IRICE enables :
- communities to make their commitments more reliable,
- economic operators to enhance their trajectory,
- investors to secure their CSR reporting.
This independent architecture is naturally in line with the objectives of the European Union's Biodiversity Strategy 2030. It also helps to ensure that the commitments made in the field (PACB) are consistent with the standards expected by the SNB and SRB.
Conclusion
Commitment is no longer enough. Biodiversity is entering the era of accountability. IRICE proposes a method, a measure, a verification. So that every action is not only visible, but proven. And so that ecological ambitions are not just affirmed, but demonstrated.
Are you a player in the Paris region and a PACB signatory? Effinature's reference systems are compatible with your approach. Contact IRICE to structure the traceability of your biodiversity commitments.