Ekologisk kompensation som verktyg i miljömålsarbetet : Syntes från en forskningssatsning
(2023) In Rapport / Naturvårdsverket- Abstract
- This report represents a synthesis of seven ”environmental compensation1” research projects funded by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management between 2018 and 2021. This synthesis has been built upon the final reports of each individual research project, as well as comments provided by the two funding agencies that emphasized specific aspects of the research that they thought was particularly relevant for future implementation of compensation.
Rather than providing a comprehensive summary of each of the projects’ conclusions, the synthesis focuses on four specific themes: (i) ethical arguments regarding the use of compensation, (ii) conditions for both mandatory and voluntary... (More) - This report represents a synthesis of seven ”environmental compensation1” research projects funded by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management between 2018 and 2021. This synthesis has been built upon the final reports of each individual research project, as well as comments provided by the two funding agencies that emphasized specific aspects of the research that they thought was particularly relevant for future implementation of compensation.
Rather than providing a comprehensive summary of each of the projects’ conclusions, the synthesis focuses on four specific themes: (i) ethical arguments regarding the use of compensation, (ii) conditions for both mandatory and voluntary compensation, (iii) models for estimating the scale of environmental damage and subsequent gains from compensation; and (iv) long-term follow-up and evaluation of compensation measures. The use of environmental compensation today is relatively limited, but there is potential to develop and increase the use of this policy instrument. Based on the research projects this report points to a number of aspects related to the implementation of compensation that need to be improved if this instrument is to reverse the decline in biodiversity and ecosystem services, or if it is to contribute to a net gain in these values. This synthesis report provides a number of proposals aimed specifically at the government agencies in Sweden that will play a key role in implementing environmental compensation. We summarize these proposals briefly below.
The legal framework and national policy
• The legal framework should provide more explicit support for applying the mitigation hierarchy; further, the connection between the hierarchy and the ”two-part permitting process2” should be clarified.
• The legal framework – and the supporting national policy for compensation – should provide a clear formulation regarding the overall goal of environmental compensation.
• The legal framework should clarify when environmental compensation is not an option and damage from a development project should be prevented completely
• A future investigation should consider whether the Swedish Environmental Code should explicitly refer to the goal of ”a net gain” in biodiversity and ecosystem services and, if so, how it should be formulated. Further, the investigation should address whether this goal should be clarified in the existing environmental quality objectives.
• The Swedish Environmental Code should be revised to include a requirement for systematic long-term follow-up of all compensation measures.
• National guidelines should be developed on follow-up and evaluation of environmental compensation. The guidelines should also address who bears responsibility for executing and funding this work.
Development of compensation pools
• Further investigation is needed considering the necessary pre-conditions for
establishing “compensation pools”, which could be managed by either public or
private actors. The investigation should analyze implications related to responsibilities as well as the possible social and socioeconomic effects of such pools.
Voluntary compensation: municipalities and business
• There is a need for common national guidelines for compensation – and more
detailed guidance documents – in order to clarify
i. how the relevant actors should organize and structure their work related to
voluntary compensation and
ii. how the compensatory goal should be defined and how it should relate to the
systematic follow-up to measure the effectiveness of the compensation
• There is a need for increased clarity with respect to the interaction between
environmental compensation as an instrument, and a variety of planning
documents currently used on the municipal level (e.g., comprehensive plans,
detailed development plans, green infrastructure planning, environmental
restoration planning, etc). Improved clarity will ensure that municipalities can
implement compensation in a consistent, transparent och strategic manner,
while also ensuring effective long-term follow-up and evaluation.
Models for estimating the scale of environmental compensation
• Policy documents and guidelines should be established for determining the
accepted amount of flexibility in scaling compensation measures across time,
space, and type of nature values affected.
• National guidelines should, based on precautionary reasons, propose a set of
multipliers for scaling compensation that explicitly account for future uncertainty and should also consider socioeconomic aspects.
• There is a need for proposals on how to improve the possibility to apply a
landscape perspective when developing compensation measures.
• Existing metrics models for estimating the scale of compensation should be
developed further and should account for socioeconomic, social, ecological
perspectives, och also take legal aspects into account.
• National guidelines should address the preferred environmental metrics to
estimate the scale of compensation, and should also address when simple
“standard values” can be used to assess the scale of compensation
Public participation
• There is a need for a clear process of how best to include affected groups from
the public in decisions about environmental compensation
Information, monitoring/follow-up and evaluation
• National guidelines should be developed on how data from initiated and com-
pleted compensation projects may be compiled and made available. This should
include a publicly accessible database that summarizes relevant information
• There is a need for a national database with geographic information about
completed compensation projects to allow long-term monitoring (Less) - Abstract (Swedish)
- Denna rapport utgör en syntes av de sju projekt som finansierades inom
Naturvårdsverkets och Havs- och vattenmyndighetens forskningssatsning inom
området ekologisk kompensation som pågick 2018–2021. Syntesprojektet har utgått dels från slutrapporterna från de enskilda projekten, dels från myndigheternas uttryckta önskemål om belysning av vissa specifika aspekter inom tillämpningen av ekologisk kompensation. Rapporten täcker därför inte in alla resultat och slutsatser från forskningsprojekten utan har inriktat sig på följande teman: (i) etiska argument kring ekologisk kompensation, (ii) förutsättningarna för lagstyrd och frivillig kompensation, (iii) modeller för beräkning av miljöskador och kompensationseffekter, och (iv)... (More) - Denna rapport utgör en syntes av de sju projekt som finansierades inom
Naturvårdsverkets och Havs- och vattenmyndighetens forskningssatsning inom
området ekologisk kompensation som pågick 2018–2021. Syntesprojektet har utgått dels från slutrapporterna från de enskilda projekten, dels från myndigheternas uttryckta önskemål om belysning av vissa specifika aspekter inom tillämpningen av ekologisk kompensation. Rapporten täcker därför inte in alla resultat och slutsatser från forskningsprojekten utan har inriktat sig på följande teman: (i) etiska argument kring ekologisk kompensation, (ii) förutsättningarna för lagstyrd och frivillig kompensation, (iii) modeller för beräkning av miljöskador och kompensationseffekter, och (iv) uppföljning och utvärdering av kompensationsåtgärder. Tillämpningen av ekologisk kompensation har idag en relativt begränsad omfattning, men skulle kunna utvecklas till ett mer använt styrmedel. I rapporten pekas dock på en rad aspekter som behöver åtgärdas och utvecklas för att ekologisk kompensation
ska bidra till att förlusterna av biologisk mångfald och ekosystemtjänster stoppas eller vänds till en nettouppbyggnad av miljövärden. Syntesprojektet resulterade i en rad olika förslag riktade till berörda myndigheter som förväntas vara avgörande för ekologisk kompensation som styrmedel. Dessa summeras kortfattat nedan:
Lagstiftning och nationell policy
• Skadelindringshierarkin bör få ett starkt lagstöd och kopplingen mellan hierarkin och principen om tvådelad prövningen bör klargöras
• Målet med ekologisk kompensation bör formuleras och uttryckas i lagstiftning och nationella policydokument
• Lagstiftning bör tas fram gällande regler för när ekologisk kompensation inte ska tillämpas utan exploatering i stället helt ska undvikas
• Utredning behövs kring om ett mål om nettovinst vid ekologisk kompensation
bör formuleras i miljöbalken, respektive om det ska uttryckas tydligare som en
del av de svenska miljökvalitetsmålen
• Krav på systematisk uppföljning bör ingå som standard för alla kompensations-åtgärder baserade på beslut utifrån miljöbalken
• Nationella riktlinjer bör utvecklas för uppföljning och utvärdering av ekologisk
kompensation, och dessa bör även förtydliga vem som bär ansvaret för att utföra
och bekosta dessa
Utveckling av kompensationspooler
• Ytterligare utredning bör göras kring förutsättningarna för att införa kompensationspooler i privat och offentlig regi, bland annat gällande ansvar samt sociala och samhällsekonomiska effekter
Frivillig kompensation: kommunal och näringsliv
• Nationellt gemensamma riktlinjer och utökad vägledning för frivillig kompensation bör utvecklas för att klargöra
i. hur berörda aktörer kan och bör organisera arbetet med frivillig kompensation
ii. hur målet med kompensationen bör definieras och i samband med det hur
effekterna av införda kompensationsåtgärder bör följas upp
• Tydligare stöd och riktlinjer bör utvecklas för vad som bör ingå i översiktsplaner, detaljplaner, grönplaner och naturvårdsplaner för att kunna skapa ett konsistent, transparent och mer strategiskt kommunalt arbete med kompensation, som också går att följa upp och utvärdera
Beräkning och bedömning
• Policydokument och riktlinjer bör upprättas för att styra handlingsutrymmet vad gäller naturtypisk, rumslig och tidsmässig flexibilitet inom ekologisk kompensation
• Nationella riktlinjer bör av försiktighetsskäl förorda och rekommendera konkreta multiplikatorer för hantering av osäkerhet, även kopplat till samhällsekonomiska aspekter
• Förslag bör tas fram på hur det går att förbättra möjligheterna att tillämpa ett
landskapsperspektiv vid genomförande av ekologisk kompensation
• Beräkningsmodeller som inkluderar samhällsekonomiska, sociala och ekologiska perspektiv bör utvecklas vidare, och dessa bör även beakta juridiska aspekter
• Nationella riktlinjer bör utvecklas för vilka typer av mått på miljöegenskaper somföreträdesvis kan tillämpas i beräkningen av omfattningen av ekologisk kompensation, samt i vilka fall som enklare specifika schablonvärden kan användas
Delaktighet
• Deltagandeprocesser bör utvecklas som främjar inkludering av berörda samhällsgrupper i beslutsfattande kring ekologisk kompensation
Kunskap, uppföljning och utvärdering
• Riktlinjer bör utvecklas för hur data från initierade och genomförda kompensationsprojekt ska sammanställas och tillgängliggöras, samt en nationell databas tas fram för att stödja detta
• En nationell geografisk databas bör tas fram för dokumentation av implementerade kompensationsområden för långsiktig uppföljning (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/aa3d5a07-a114-4f16-b890-ed6300da8d94
- author
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023-03-29
- type
- Book/Report
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Rapport / Naturvårdsverket
- issue
- 7103
- pages
- 79 pages
- publisher
- Naturvårdsverket
- report number
- rapport 7103
- ISSN
- 0282-7298
- ISBN
- 978-91-620-7103-5
- language
- Swedish
- LU publication?
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- id
- aa3d5a07-a114-4f16-b890-ed6300da8d94
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- date added to LUP
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- date last changed
- 2023-04-28 10:30:35
@techreport{aa3d5a07-a114-4f16-b890-ed6300da8d94,
abstract = {{This report represents a synthesis of seven ”environmental compensation1” research projects funded by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management between 2018 and 2021. This synthesis has been built upon the final reports of each individual research project, as well as comments provided by the two funding agencies that emphasized specific aspects of the research that they thought was particularly relevant for future implementation of compensation.<br/>Rather than providing a comprehensive summary of each of the projects’ conclusions, the synthesis focuses on four specific themes: (i) ethical arguments regarding the use of compensation, (ii) conditions for both mandatory and voluntary compensation, (iii) models for estimating the scale of environmental damage and subsequent gains from compensation; and (iv) long-term follow-up and evaluation of compensation measures. The use of environmental compensation today is relatively limited, but there is potential to develop and increase the use of this policy instrument. Based on the research projects this report points to a number of aspects related to the implementation of compensation that need to be improved if this instrument is to reverse the decline in biodiversity and ecosystem services, or if it is to contribute to a net gain in these values. This synthesis report provides a number of proposals aimed specifically at the government agencies in Sweden that will play a key role in implementing environmental compensation. We summarize these proposals briefly below.<br/>The legal framework and national policy<br/>• The legal framework should provide more explicit support for applying the mitigation hierarchy; further, the connection between the hierarchy and the ”two-part permitting process2” should be clarified.<br/>• The legal framework – and the supporting national policy for compensation – should provide a clear formulation regarding the overall goal of environmental compensation.<br/>• The legal framework should clarify when environmental compensation is not an option and damage from a development project should be prevented completely<br/>• A future investigation should consider whether the Swedish Environmental Code should explicitly refer to the goal of ”a net gain” in biodiversity and ecosystem services and, if so, how it should be formulated. Further, the investigation should address whether this goal should be clarified in the existing environmental quality objectives.<br/>• The Swedish Environmental Code should be revised to include a requirement for systematic long-term follow-up of all compensation measures.<br/>• National guidelines should be developed on follow-up and evaluation of environmental compensation. The guidelines should also address who bears responsibility for executing and funding this work.<br/>Development of compensation pools<br/>• Further investigation is needed considering the necessary pre-conditions for<br/>establishing “compensation pools”, which could be managed by either public or<br/>private actors. The investigation should analyze implications related to responsibilities as well as the possible social and socioeconomic effects of such pools.<br/>Voluntary compensation: municipalities and business<br/>• There is a need for common national guidelines for compensation – and more<br/>detailed guidance documents – in order to clarify<br/>i. how the relevant actors should organize and structure their work related to<br/>voluntary compensation and<br/>ii. how the compensatory goal should be defined and how it should relate to the<br/>systematic follow-up to measure the effectiveness of the compensation<br/>• There is a need for increased clarity with respect to the interaction between<br/>environmental compensation as an instrument, and a variety of planning<br/>documents currently used on the municipal level (e.g., comprehensive plans,<br/>detailed development plans, green infrastructure planning, environmental<br/>restoration planning, etc). Improved clarity will ensure that municipalities can<br/>implement compensation in a consistent, transparent och strategic manner,<br/>while also ensuring effective long-term follow-up and evaluation.<br/>Models for estimating the scale of environmental compensation<br/>• Policy documents and guidelines should be established for determining the<br/>accepted amount of flexibility in scaling compensation measures across time,<br/>space, and type of nature values affected.<br/>• National guidelines should, based on precautionary reasons, propose a set of<br/>multipliers for scaling compensation that explicitly account for future uncertainty and should also consider socioeconomic aspects.<br/>• There is a need for proposals on how to improve the possibility to apply a<br/>landscape perspective when developing compensation measures.<br/>• Existing metrics models for estimating the scale of compensation should be<br/>developed further and should account for socioeconomic, social, ecological<br/>perspectives, och also take legal aspects into account.<br/>• National guidelines should address the preferred environmental metrics to<br/>estimate the scale of compensation, and should also address when simple<br/>“standard values” can be used to assess the scale of compensation<br/>Public participation<br/>• There is a need for a clear process of how best to include affected groups from<br/>the public in decisions about environmental compensation<br/>Information, monitoring/follow-up and evaluation<br/>• National guidelines should be developed on how data from initiated and com-<br/>pleted compensation projects may be compiled and made available. This should<br/>include a publicly accessible database that summarizes relevant information<br/>• There is a need for a national database with geographic information about<br/>completed compensation projects to allow long-term monitoring}},
author = {{Jönsson, K. Ingemar and Widenfalk, Lina A and Bergström, Lena and Elofsson, Katarina and Alkan Olsson, Johanna and Öckinger, Erik and Karlsson, Mikael and Hanson, Helena and Cole, Scott and Josefsson, Jonas and Josefsson, Henrik}},
institution = {{Naturvårdsverket}},
isbn = {{978-91-620-7103-5}},
issn = {{0282-7298}},
language = {{swe}},
month = {{03}},
number = {{rapport 7103}},
series = {{Rapport / Naturvårdsverket}},
title = {{Ekologisk kompensation som verktyg i miljömålsarbetet : Syntes från en forskningssatsning}},
url = {{https://www.naturvardsverket.se/496636/globalassets/media/publikationer-pdf/7100/978-91-620-7103-5.pdf}},
year = {{2023}},
}