Summary
In short
- A biodiversity assessment is an assessment used in KnowEnviro that assesses habitat and species present on or near the site, and how operations affect them. It is built against ISO 14001 cl.6.1.2 and forms part of the Environmental Management programme.
- Run at development and periodically. Carried out by an ecological consultant.
- The template holds 48 fields across 7 sections.
- Scoring is impact rating, where high is bad.
- ISO 14001 is environmental management systems. The international standard for managing environmental aspects, obligations and impacts. Certifiable.
- It connects to the rest of the library: links Site.
What it is
What it is
What is a biodiversity assessment?
A biodiversity assessment is an assessment used in KnowEnviro that assesses habitat and species present on or near the site, and how operations affect them. It is built against ISO 14001 cl.6.1.2 and forms part of the Environmental Management programme.
When is a biodiversity assessment completed?
A biodiversity assessment is completed when the task, area or population being assessed is new or has materially changed. Run at development and periodically.
When to use it
When to use it, and when not to
This assessment is one step in a larger programme. Using it for work that belongs to a neighbouring template produces records that are hard to report on later.
Use it for
- The event or activity this assessment covers has occurred, or is about to
- A new record is needed; each one gets its own ID in the form BIO-2026-000
- You are running the Environmental Management programme and this is one of its steps
- A linked record needs this one to exist: links site
Not for
- Contaminated Land Record, which records known or suspected land contamination, its extent and any monitoring in place.
- Anything outside KnowEnviro, which belongs in the workspace that owns that process
Standards
What it is built against
ISO 14001Environmental management systems
The international standard for managing environmental aspects, obligations and impacts. Certifiable.
ISOInternational Organization for Standardization
A voluntary international standard. Widely adopted, often required by customers, and certifiable where a management system standard.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the biodiversity assessment template based on?+
It is built against ISO 14001 cl.6.1.2. ISO 14001 is environmental management systems. The international standard for managing environmental aspects, obligations and impacts. Certifiable. ISO is international Organization for Standardization. A voluntary international standard. Widely adopted, often required by customers, and certifiable where a management system standard.
What sections does the biodiversity assessment contain?+
There are 7 sections: header, site context, protected species, activities and impact, enhancement, related records, outcome. Together they hold 48 fields, 29 of which are required.
How often is a biodiversity assessment raised?+
A new record is raised when the task, area or population being assessed is new or has materially changed. Each one is given an ID in the form BIO-2026-000, so it can be traced and referenced from other records.
Which programme does the biodiversity assessment belong to?+
It is part of Environmental Management. An ISO 14001 system with obligations tracked and evaluated rather than listed.
How is a biodiversity assessment scored?+
Scoring is impact rating. High is bad. Scores exist to make the form tell you something, not to produce a percentage for its own sake.
Can the biodiversity assessment template be changed?+
Yes. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it. Most teams install it as it is, run it for a cycle, then adjust.
The agents
What the agents do with it
The form is the easy part. Keeping it current, routing it to the right owner and holding the evidence together is the work that actually slips.
Holds the biodiversity assessment library against your registers, routes each record to its owner, and keeps the evidence trail together.
Coordinates the crew, rolls completion and exceptions into one view, and holds every write for your approval before it touches a record.
This template lives in KnowEnviro — environment and energy. Aspects, permits, waste, emissions, spills and sustainability reporting.
Sources
Sources
- ISO 14001 — Environmental management systems
- ISO — International Organization for Standardization