Biodiversity & Ecology
ESIA Biodiversity Baselines
Baseline surveys and specialist studies for ESIAs that satisfy lenders and national regulators, delivered to budget and on time.
Overview
Okala delivers the biodiversity component of Environmental and Social Impact Assessments, and works with wider ESIA teams where social and other environmental topics sit with partners. The aim is a biodiversity chapter that is scientifically robust and usable in both permitting and finance.
How we approach it
Scoping decides which receptors matter and how deep the study needs to go. Baseline surveys and data review follow that scope. The impact chapter then lines up with national ESIA process and with lender standards, so the same evidence is not rewritten three times in three formats.
What we deliver
- Scoping of biodiversity receptors and the study effort each one needs
- Baseline surveys and review of existing data, scaled to project risk
- Impact assessment, mitigation and a residual-effect narrative
- Chapter text and annexes aligned to the ESIA structure you are using
- Responses to regulator and lender comments on the biodiversity chapter
- Coordination notes so field timing fits the wider ESIA programme
What you receive
You receive a biodiversity chapter and supporting annexes that can sit inside the ESIA without a second rewrite, plus a clear list of commitments the project will have to carry into management.
When you need it
Start this when an ESIA is underway or about to start and the biodiversity chapter has to meet both regulatory and lender scrutiny.
Related services
Biodiversity Impact Assessments
Impact assessments applying the mitigation hierarchy, supporting approval and investment decisions.
Critical Habitat Assessments
IFC PS6 critical habitat assessments, and equivalents under EBRD PR6 and World Bank ESS6, to support lender due diligence and project approval.
E&S Due Diligence
Environmental and social reviews against the IFC Performance Standards to identify risks and decision points.
Ecological Surveys & Baselines
Defensible ecological surveys and biodiversity baselines for planning, compliance and impact assessment.
Habitat Mapping
Clear ecological and land-use maps that communicate habitat, risk and change for approvals, planning and stakeholder reporting.
Remote Sensing & Habitat Mapping
Satellite imagery and spatial analysis to map habitats and land-use change across whole landscapes, delivered through NatureCube.