PACB, SRB, SNB, Europe 2030: what role for evidence in biodiversity commitments?

While public and private actors are making numerous climate and biodiversity commitments (PACB, SRB, SNB, Europe 2030), the lack of evidence remains the blind spot of the ecological transition. IRICE proposes a solution: measure, certify, demonstrate.

Introduction

Commitments to biodiversity are multiplying at all levels. The City of Paris is structuring local mobilization through the Paris Climate Action Biodiversity Pact (PACB). The Île-de-France Region is implementing a Regional Biodiversity Strategy (SRB). The French government is relying on a national Biodiversity Strategy aligned with European objectives. Europe, for its part, is aiming for an ambitious framework by 2030. But one question remains: what guarantees that the commitments made will actually produce a measurable ecological benefit?

At IRICE, we believe that biodiversity can no longer remain an area of ​​engagement without evaluation. It must become an area of ​​evidence.

1. Growing but uneven mobilization

1.1. The local level: the PACB of the City of Paris

The Paris Climate Action and Biodiversity Pact, reformed in 2022, brings together around fifty economic actors who commit to predefined environmental actions. The scheme offers:

• a catalogue of 28 operational actions,
• thematic working groups,
• a declarative reporting system.

However, it does not include an independent method for assessing the ecological impacts of these actions.

1.2. The regional level: the Île-de-France Regional Development Agency (SRB)

The 2022-2030 Biodiversity Strategy emphasizes the need to reconnect ecological networks, integrate biodiversity into development projects, and strengthen the traceability of impacts. It explicitly calls for objective assessment tools.

1.3. The national level: the SNB 3rd edition

The National Biodiversity Strategy places assessment at the heart of its implementation, without yet imposing a uniform framework. It shifts the burden of proof to the stakeholders. Currently, a common operational methodological framework at the project level is lacking.

1.4. The European level: Biodiversity 2030

The European Union's strategy calls for:

• the restoration of urban ecosystems,
• traceability of the commitments of economic actors (via CSRD, green taxonomy, SFDR),
• an integration of biodiversity into CSR governance.

It recognizes the need for robust and auditable tools, but does not yet mandate their use in the field.

2. The unmet need: objectively measuring biodiversity performance

A structural gap persists between political arrangements and practices on the ground:

• Commitments are valued, but rarely translated into indicators.
• The projects are labeled, but rarely evaluated scientifically.
• The actions are visible, but their effects on ecosystems remain unclear.

A methodological link is missing: a framework capable of linking intention, implementation and impact.

3. The IRICE response: proof, method, certification

IRICE plays a role at this intersection. As an independent third-party certification body, we have developed tools that:

• translate the major orientations (PACB, SRB, SNB, Europe) into measurable criteria,
• allow project owners to provide proof of their commitment to biodiversity,
• They fit within the frameworks of CSRD, ESG and sustainable finance.

The Effinature reference frameworks:

• EVO for existing buildings,
• NCO for new constructions,
• HOR for multi-site operations with a biodiversity focus
• HVE stands for high ecological value in landscaping.

The Biodiversity Performance Score (BPS):

A cross-cutting tool, without labeling issues, designed to diagnose the ecological performance of a project according to 6 recognized criteria (functionality, pressure, dynamics, cohabitation, proof, sustainable finance).

4. Towards a unified proof architecture

By making the contribution of projects to biodiversity legible, comparable, and verifiable, IRICE enables:

• to enable local authorities to make their commitments more reliable,
• enabling economic operators to enhance their trajectory,
• to help investors secure their CSR reporting.

This independent architecture naturally aligns with the objectives of the European Union's 2030 Biodiversity Strategy. It also contributes to ensuring consistency between field commitments (PACB) and the standards expected by the SNB and the SRB.

Conclusion

Commitment alone is no longer enough. Biodiversity is entering an era of accountability. IRICE offers a method, a measurement, a verification process. So that every action is not only visible, but proven. And so that ecological ambitions are no longer just stated, but demonstrated.

Are you a stakeholder in the Paris region and a signatory of the PACB? The Effinature frameworks are compatible with your approach. Contact IRICE to structure the traceability of your biodiversity commitments.