{"id":76206,"date":"2026-03-20T12:05:06","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T10:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/?post_type=blog&p=76206"},"modified":"2026-03-20T12:05:29","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T10:05:29","slug":"biodiversity-footprint-meaning","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.sweco.fi\/en\/blog\/biodiversity-footprint-meaning\/","title":{"rendered":"What does biodiversity footprint mean \u2013 and why is it important?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Biodiversity footprint refers to an indicator that assesses the extent to which human activities weaken biodiversity and the living conditions of species.\u00a0An organisation’s\u00a0 biodiversity footprint<\/a> takes into account the impacts of both its own operations and the value chain.\u00a0The biodiversity footprint can also be calculated for a product or an individual project.<\/p>\n

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Biodiversity footprint is part of an organisation’s toolbox for impactful nature work.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There is no single standardised method for calculating the biodiversity footprint, but there are several methods and tools available.\u00a0Sweco uses a calculation method based on the LC-Impact methodology, which means that the results describe how many of the world’s species are at risk of extinction if operations continue as before.\u00a0The results are presented in the PDF unit, which consists of the words Potentially Disappeared Fraction of Species.<\/p>\n

In practice, the figures obtained as a result of the calculation of a single organisation are often very small, only fractions of a percentage. However, in relation to the currently known number of species in the world, i.e. about 8 million species, the organisation’s biodiversity footprint can pose a threat to several, even hundreds, of species.<\/p>\n

The key role of the biodiversity footprint among the various tools for nature work<\/a> is important, as it increases understanding of nature impacts, makes these impacts visible and helps to identify the activities that are most likely to contribute to biodiversity loss.\u00a0The biodiversity footprint can be used to identify where the greatest impacts are geographically and the most essential points to focus on in nature work.<\/p>\n

Interested in assessing your biodiversity footprint?<\/a>Biodiversity footprint at Sweco<\/a>Contact us!<\/a><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n
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Example, how the biodiversity footprint guides actions<\/h2>\n

For example, the organisation’s biodiversity footprint calculation can reveal that the most significant driver of biodiversity loss in its own operations is water use in production, and for it\u2019s supply chain, the greatest driver is the land use in the production of raw materials. Looking at these results, the organisation can focus its nature work on the most effective actions: improve the efficiency of water use, review the procurement of raw materials and cooperate with suppliers \u2013 and justify why the measures are targeted at these particular parts of the value chain.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n

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The calculation of the biodiversity footprint is largely based on existing data<\/h2>\n

When an organisation is considering what biodiversity footprint calculation means in practice, it is essential to understand that it does not necessarily require an extensive survey of suppliers to understand the drivers of biodiversity loss.<\/p>\n

The calculation of the biodiversity footprint can be done largely with the same information that organisations already collect annually from their own operations:<\/p>\n