Landscape Alteration

Data we are looking for:

• What are the company’s activities that are provoking the impact;

• How is the landscape being affected by these activities (e.g., fragmentation, habitat and biodiversity loss, etc.);

• A quantification of these activities, for example kms of railroads or pipelines, amount of energy generated, number of dams, etc.;

• By how much is the environment impacted? You need to include quantitative data. You can use proxies for this;

• Since when it is happening;

• For how long the impact is likely to persist;

• Where is it happening? What are the environmental peculiarities of the areas where the impact is happening? Have species been directly affected over time? 

  • Whether the company's operations are near or in biodiversity-sensitive areas is of special concern here. To double-check this, please refer to the following maps of protected areas.

    • MAPS

      • https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/explore-interactive-maps/european-protected-areas-1

      • https://natura2000.eea.europa.eu/

      • https://www.keybiodiversityareas.org/sites/search

      • https://whc.unesco.org/en/interactive-map/

      If a company has directly disclosed its operations are in ecologically sensitive areas or if other sources confirm the areas are especially rich in biodiversity, please make sure to mention this clearly in the analysis.

Some definitions:

• Disclosed: when the data is directly disclosed by the company, i.e., we did not do any calculations/estimations to obtain the figure

• Estimated: when we have calculated the figure

• Complete: when the data represents 100% of the company’s operations

• Partial: when the data is given for only a portion of its operations (not 100%)

Units:

• We want to have homogenous and comparable units:

  • Material used: tonnes (t) or cubic meters (m3)

  • Land used: hectares (ha)

  • Linear length: kilometers (km)

  • Energy: GWh

• If the figures are given in tonnes or metric tons in the report, then we can report them as it is but we will write them as tonnes in the analysis for consistency -> no need to convert anything -> 1 tonne = 1 metric ton

• If the figures are given in tons in the report, then we must check whether the company has used the metric system or not (check whether the company has used kg, km,°C, etc.);

• If yes, then tons actually mean tonnes -> we can report the figures as it is but write them as tonnes in the analysis for consistency -> no need to convert anything

• If not, then tons mean US tons -> we will have to convert it to tonnes (source)

Proxies:

• Oil land disturbance: 1 Mn t -> 1,314 ha -> source page 5 and to convert units: Conversion Tools.

• Natural gas land disturbance: 1 Mn m3 -> 1.2 ha -> source page 5 and to convert units: Conversion Tools.

• Palm oil land used: 1 t -> 2.8 ha -> source.

• Timber land use: depends on the timber product and trees planted. Here is a useful proxy to start. Please note that this might not be relevant for all cases: 207 t of timber per ha -> source.

• Meat land use: Land used for meat products varies depending on the meat type. You can find the proxies here.

• Mines/metals: Open pit mines- 5.05 ha/Mn t of ore; underground mines-11.85 ha/Mn t of ore. Please make sure to use the amount of ore mined, not the final amount of minerals the company used.

• Electric Utilities & Power generation: coal, natural gas and nuclear 5 ha/Mw; solar 18 ha/Mw; wind 29 ha/Mw and hydro 128 ha/Mw -> source page 1.

1. Good sources for mining:

   1. “Mining is responsible for 7% of the global forest loss as of 2020.” pg 82

   2. “Mining is associated with substantial landscape alterations, such as long-term soil damage, vegetation removal, and contamination of water and soil”

   3. “In Brazil, studies have shown that forest impacts from mining can extend 50 kilometers or more around mine sites.”

   4. Even though progressive rehabilitation – grading or revegetating sections of the mine as they close - is now a key aspect of closure planning, it could easily take 50 years or more for a site to blend into the surrounding forest, or for open pits to refill with water and become lakes connected to the watershed.

   5. “Global mining uses more than 57,000 km² of land”

   6. “Since the 1970s, extraction of metals increased by more than 75 %, non-metallic industrial minerals by 53 %, and construction materials by 106 %. The global extent of land area impacted by mining and quarrying are debated, but recent estimates range between 300 000 and 800 000 km.”

2. A good proxy for wind power:

   1. https://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy09osti/45834.pdf

“Approximately 0.3 hectares (ha) are permanently disturbed per megawatt (MW) of wind power installed capacity, and 0.7 ha/MW are disturbed temporarily during construction6;p12. Furthermore, wind turbines placed in forested areas may cause habitat disruptions that can exceed a 340 meters radius area for certain species or a habitat impact of over 24 ha/MW6;p21.”

1. Check if the assigned analysis has more recent data (we require the latest data available)

NO: do not refresh the analysis and please report it

YES: Move to step 2

2. Check the intro: Is it up to standard? Are sources working? Is data current and relevant?

YES: do not refresh the introduction

NO: move to step 3

3. Check if the most relevant activities are being discussed

YES: stay with the same activities and update the note with the most recent data

NO: move to step 4

4. Find the most relevant activities and include the most recent data.

5. Estimate land disturbed and/or used.

6. Include any direct impact.

7. Fix the conclusion

8. Update the data points as per the available data.

9. Fix the Headline