Biodiversity and sustainable real estate news
As biodiversity credit markets seek to organize themselves around common principles, the White Paper published in May 2025 by the World Economic Forum sets an ambitious foundation: 21 High-Level Principles (HLPs) to guarantee the quality, integrity, and legitimacy of these instruments. But who today is capable of implementing them in practice? The Effinature certification, operated by IRICE, already provides an answer. It anticipates them. And often, it surpasses them.
I. Verifiable positive results for nature (HLP 1 to 10)
| HLP | Principle | Effinature |
| HLP 1 | Biodiversity objectives defined | The Effinature reference frameworks define contextualized and audited objectives (e.g., green infrastructure, target species, plant palette). |
| HLP 2 | Mitigation Hierarchy | No Effinature credit is issued without proof of impact avoidance. No "off-site" compensation. |
| HLP 3 | Credit traceability | Each certificate is linked to a project, a site, an audit, with no fungibility or secondary market. |
| HLP 4 | Ex-ante / Ex-post | Only verified post-work results are eligible for certification. No credit is based on forecasts. |
| HLP 5 | Additionality | No certified project falls under “business as usual”: the ecological impact must be demonstrated and measured. |
| HLP 6 | Baselines | The initial state must be documented by ecological diagnosis before any intervention. |
| HLP 7 | Sustainability | Projects must demonstrate a biodiversity management plan and incorporate long-term sustainability. |
| HLP 8 | Leaks | The local scale of the project and the absence of compensation reduce the risk of impact displacement. |
| HLP 9 | MRV | Comprehensive audit, measured indicators, public traceability, participation of field actors. |
| HLP 10 | Third-party audit | Certification operated by IRICE, an ISO/IEC 17065 accredited body. |
II. Equity and justice for populations (HLP 11 to 17)
| HLP | Principle | Effinature |
| HLP 11 | Land rights | Effinature requires verification of usage rights, in accordance with local law and stakeholders. |
| HLP 12 | Human rights | The audit framework includes social impact analysis and the integration of human use in coexistence with living things. |
| HLP 13 | Informed consent | Every Effinature project involves an explicit buy-in process from project owners and operators. |
| HLP 14 | Inclusive governance | The reference frameworks were developed with project management consultants, ecologists, developers, local authorities, and urban planners. |
| HLP 15 | No harm | An Effinature project cannot degrade other natural or social compartments to obtain a score. |
| HLP 16 | Profit sharing | Land, regulatory or ESG valuation directly benefits local project developers. |
| HLP 17 | Appeal mechanism | Any disagreement can be brought before IRICE; the certification process is documented and enforceable. |
III. Integrity and transparent governance (HLP 18 to 21)
| HLP | Principle | Effinature |
| HLP 18 | Transparent governance | Clear structure: public standards, accredited certifier, independent scientific committee (BSC). |
| HLP 19 | Data sovereignty | Sensitive data (wildlife, land, ecology) are protected, and results are anonymized if necessary. |
| HLP 20 | Alignment with international frameworks | Effinature is structured to be compatible with the Green Taxonomy, GBF, ESMA, ISO and SFDR. |
| HLP 21 | Regulation of transferability | No secondary market. The certificate is nominative, non-fungible, and cannot be used for carbon offsetting. |
🎯 Conclusion: Effinature embodies the HLP, and goes further
The 21 High-Level Policies (HLPs) of the World Economic Forum are essential for structuring a credible market, but remain theoretical for most stakeholders. Effinature is currently the only operational method that allows for their consistent, traceable, and certified application.
Where others promise, Effinature delivers. Where others speculate, Effinature measures. Where others standardize, Effinature contextualizes.
📍 For investors, project owners and communities, this is a strategic assurance: the biodiversity performance of a project can be certified today according to tomorrow's international standards.