Quantifying the “avoided” biodiversity impacts associated with economic development

Achieving global sustainability objectives such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals or Aichi Targets, including remaining within planetary boundaries, necessitates proactively avoiding a proportion of environmental impacts otherwise expected to result from economic development. Quantifying these “avoided” is important for monitoring progress toward meeting objectives, but doing so in consistent way fraught with difficulty. Using mitigation biodiversity by development projects an example, we explored challenges defining and measuring impact avoidance. Avoidance can be defined either action-based outcome-based, classified whether it achieved through project cancellation, spatial avoidance, design-based temporal We also examined what drives different types proponents implement avoidance measures. To support empirical quantification contribution that makes conservation goals, present framework structuring assessments Our has widespread applicability science, policy, practice, well relevance broader policies seek avoid social impacts.