Figure 3: The four components of the WWF BRF Methodology Documentation

1. OBJECTIVES

The WWF Biodiversity Risk Filter currently consists of:

1. The WWF Biodiversity Risk Filter 2. The WWF Biodiversity Risk Filter Methodology Documentation

The WWF Biodiversity Risk Filter

The WWF BRF is a free-of-charge, web-based, spatially explicit corporate- and portfolio-level screening and prioritisation tool for biodiversity-related risks. It allows companies to understand and assess the biodiversity-related risks of their operational locations and their suppliers and to prepare an appropriate response plan. By the same logic, financial institutions can assess biodiversity-related risks for all companies in a given portfolio.

The tool builds heavily on WWF’s experience with the WRF, launched in 2012 (WWF Water Risk Filter, 2021). In essence, both tools are designed to be used by companies and financial institutions for company- and portfolio-level screening and prioritisation to identify risk hotspots across companies’ operational and supply chain sites. By using spatially explicit data on biodiversity and freshwater at global scale, the tools provide location-specific and industryspecific assessments of biodiversity and water-related physical, regulatory2 and reputational risks. The tools aim to help companies and financial institutions to better prioritise where and on what to focus contextual responses as well as inform their biodiversity- and water-related stewardship strategies and target setting.

Both tools are available through the WWF Risk Filter Suite. This integrated platform has a common user database. That means that users only need to enter the required location-specific company data once and can manage both tools in one central location. Once the data is added, the users can assess their biodiversity- and water-related risks.

The current version of the WWF BRF tool consists of three key modules: the Inform Module, which provides an overview of the industry-specific dependencies on ecosystem services and impacts on biodiversity; the Explore Module, which is a collection of spatially explicit maps of the importance and local integrity of biodiversity; and the Assess Module, which contains a tailored physical and reputational risk assessment for which users need to input location-specific company and/or supply chain data. A fourth module, the Respond Module, is currently under development. This will support users in identifying suitable actions to respond to the identified risks. In addition, it will include guidance on where to get more specific information on biodiversity values in a particular identified highrisk site via complementary tools such as the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT). Figure 2 summarises the key modules of the WWF BRF tool.

Figure 2: The four modules of the WWF BRF tool

INFORM MODULE

Industry materiality: Explore different industry sectors‘ dependencies on ecosystem services and impacts on biodiversity using an interactive table that lets you select the industries you are interested in.

EXPLORE MODULE

ASSESS MODULE

Maps on the importance and integrity of biodiversity: Explore maps of different biodiversity aspects at different geographical scales. The maps show high-risk regions to identify priority areas for action.

Assessment of company and supply chain locations: Upload your location-specific company and supply chain data for a tailored assessment of biodiversity-related physical and reputational risks of your operational sites, supply chain sites or your portfolio companies’ sites respectively.

RESPOND MODULE Under development: Draw up a suitable catalogue of response measures per site or across sites based on the individual risk assessment (i.e., the Assess Module).