Biodiversity indicators for the OECD Environmental Outlook and Strategy

This framework has been developed in the Convention on Biodiversity. In addition, the study provides a review of existing biodiversity indicators and a comparison of major indicator frameworks. Moreover, it provides real-data applications of the Natural Capital approach to the biodiversity in some of the larger ecosystems of the OECD as a preliminary estimation. These include forest, grassland, tundra, inland waters and (semi-)desert.

It is concluded that the Natural Capital Index constitutes a feasible method to assess biodiversity in a crude but comprehensive manner. The fall-back option (using pressure information when quality information is not available) allows to start using the framework in the short term. Pressure information also allows to make projections into the future, for scenario analysis.