Biodiversity footprinting
About this expertise
In short- Integrated footprint family
- With five different footprints
- Measuring scale and depth
- Calculating impact of policy options
- Participatory approach
Policymakers, businesses and NGOs aiming to reduce the biodiversity footprint of agrifood production and consumption can benefit from Wageningen University & Research’ insights. Our innovative KOEVOET method provides a clear picture of which interventions truly benefit biodiversity and quantifies their impact in a consistent and integrated way.
Following the 2019 IPBES Global Assessment, the Dutch government set a target to halve the biodiversity footprint of national consumption by 2050. Achieving this goal requires a clear and consistent definition of what a biodiversity footprint entails. While various ecological footprints exist, few assess both the scale (how much ecosystems are affected) and the depth (how severely ecosystems are impacted) in a coherent manner.
Wageningen University & Research developed the KOEVOET method, which uses the Biodiversity Footprint Family Framework (BFFF), to fill this gap. Our analysis combines indicators for land and water use, greenhouse gas emissions, and the use of nutrients and chemical pesticides and calculates the impact of policy options using the MAGNET global economic model.
This enables organisations to quantify ecological impacts across multiple dimensions, identify effective reduction strategies through participatory processes and assess the cost-effectiveness and ecological benefits of interventions. This approach provides a robust foundation for designing targeted, evidence-based policies that deliver measurable biodiversity gains.
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Do you have a question about biodiversity footprinting or opportunities to work with us? Please get in touch.
CC (Chloë) de Vries, MSc
Researcher Wageningen Social & Economic Research