Loss of habitats or ecosystems arising from development projects (e.g., infrastructure, resource extraction, urban expansion) are frequently addressed through biodiversity offsetting. As currently implemented, offsetting typically requires an outcome of “no net loss” of biodiversity, but only relative to a baseline trajectory of biodiversity decline. This type of “relative” no net loss entrenches ongoing biodiversity loss, and is misaligned with biodiversity targets that require “absolute” no net loss or “net gain.” Here, we review the limitations of biodiversity offsetting, and in response, propose a new framework for compensating for biodiversity losses from development in a way that is aligned explicitly with jurisdictional biodiversity targets. In the framework, targets for particular biodiversity features are achieved via one of three pathways: Net Gain, No Net Loss, or (rarely) Managed Net Loss. We outline how to set the type (“Maintenance” or “Improvement”) and amount of ecological compensation that is appropriate for proportionately contributing to the achievement of different targets. This framework advances ecological compensation beyond a reactive, ad‐hoc response, to ensuring alignment between actions addressing residual biodiversity losses and achievement of overarching targets for biodiversity conservation.

中文翻译：

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从生物多样性补偿转向基于目标的生态补偿方法

开发项目（例如，基础设施，资源开采，城市扩张）引起的栖息地或生态系统的丧失经常通过抵消生物多样性来解决。按照目前的实施，抵消通常需要生物多样性“没有净损失”的结果，但仅相对于生物多样性下降的基线轨迹而言。这种类型的“相对”无净损失加剧了生物多样性的持续丧失，并且与要求“绝对”无净损失或“净收益”的生物多样性目标不一致。在这里，我们回顾了生物多样性抵消的局限性，并为此提出了一个新的框架，以一种与管辖范围内的生物多样性目标明确一致的方式来补偿发展中的生物多样性损失。在框架中，通过以下三种途径之一实现特定生物多样性特征的目标：净收益，无净损失或（很少）管理的净损失。我们概述了如何设置生态补偿的类型（“维护”或“改善”）和适合按比例促进实现不同目标的生态补偿的金额。该框架使生态补偿超越了反应性的临时响应，从而确保了解决剩余生物多样性损失的行动与实现生物多样性保护的总体目标之间的一致性。