Ecosystem area coverage: Quantitative measure of ecosystem extent, e.g. change in habitat cover
Unit
Indicator
Metric type
Framework alignment notes
Target example
[Company name] will have zero conversion of natural ecosystems in [target location(s)] by [2025, or earliest post-2025 date], compared with a cutoff year no later than 2020*. (* While the cutoff date of 2020 and the goal of no conversion is aligned both to science and international commitments and policies, the target date may differ based on implementation hurdles and local context.)
Target source: Adapted from SBTN Land Target
Metric assessment
Relevance: Low
Feasibility: Medium
Additional Metric Notes
ACT-D stage: Assess Maturity stage: Developing Metric Contribution to Action: Measuring habitat cover changes allows businesses to monitor and prevent ecosystem loss, supporting efforts to maintain ecological integrity and avoid further harm. Observations/Successes/Challenges: > Both a state and pressure metric type. > Can be measured via remote sensing (satellite imagery, LiDAR, GIS) and national biodiversity datasets. > Habitat extent alone doesn’t indicate biodiversity health, ecosystem function, or species richness. > Variations in data resolution, classification methods, and update frequency can lead to discrepancies. > Requires clear definitions on what constitutes ecosystem loss or gain (e.g., does secondary regrowth count as restored forest?). > User needs to specify ecosystem classification, e.g. Global Ecosystem Typology level 3.