OCE-B.10.E - IAS Presence Monitoring
Does the company monitor the presence of IAS in the locations where it operates, including hull monitoring for vessels?
About the data
The WBA Ocean Benchmark measures and ranks the world's most influential companies on their efforts to halt and reverse nature loss in marine ecosystems, tracking how companies manage their impacts on ocean biodiversity, marine habitats, and the communities and workers dependent on healthy seas. The 2026 edition is WBA's first Ocean Benchmark, assessing 125 companies across key sectors dependent on oceans, including seafood, maritime transport, offshore wind energy, shipbuilding, port operations, apparel, and chemicals. Companies are assessed on 47 indicators across four measurement areas: governance, ecosystems and biodiversity, social responsibility, and core social indicators. The benchmark builds on WBA's Nature Benchmark and the former Seafood Stewardship Index, and its methodology was developed with input from more than 50 stakeholders including ocean communities, companies, scientists and civil society, with human rights and social impacts kept at its core alongside nature-specific concerns. More information can be found here.
Methodology
IAS include animals, plants and other organisms that humans accidentally or deliberately
introduce to areas outside their natural geographic range. IAS can have detrimental impacts on local
biodiversity. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
(IPBES) Global Assessment Report (2019) has identified IAS as one of the five most significant direct
drivers of biodiversity loss. The Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD's) Post-2020 Global
Biodiversity Framework requires reducing the rate of introduction and establishment of invasive
species by at least 50%.
Invasive species can enter marine ecosystems through various pathways, such as ballast water,
biofouling, discharged wastewater, escaped fish, imported bait and navigational canals. Lacking
natural predators in their new environments, invasive species often spread and become abundant.
Their ecological consequences can permeate food chains as they carry diseases, outcompete or prey
on native species and alter food webs. These impacts influence ecosystem functioning and can also
have socioeconomic and health implications. Managing invasive species is, therefore, vital for
preserving biodiversity and human welfare (SDG 14.2).
Research Guidance:
For this element to be met, the company must:
Monitor the presence of IAS in the location where it operates
OR
Have certification that covers this topic
Guidance:
This process focuses on the ongoing tracking and evaluation of the identified high-risk activities and their potential to introduce invasive alien species into the environment. It is a set of established procedures and guidelines for monitoring IAS risks, including detection methods, data collection, analysis, and reporting. The documented process ensures that the company maintains a consistent and structured approach to monitoring IAS risks, which enables the company to take timely and appropriate action if an IAS introduction is detected or suspected.
The company monitors the area of operations and, in the case of vessels, monitors vessels hulls for the presence of attached organisms that can be potential IAS.
The company has provided evidence of their monitoring efforts (e.g., monitoring reports, expert consultations, or case studies). This point verifies that the company actively monitors IAS introduction and risks.
Example of compliance: The company shares monitoring reports, expert consultation records, or case studies that demonstrate its ongoing efforts to monitor IAS introduction risks.
introduce to areas outside their natural geographic range. IAS can have detrimental impacts on local
biodiversity. The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services
(IPBES) Global Assessment Report (2019) has identified IAS as one of the five most significant direct
drivers of biodiversity loss. The Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD's) Post-2020 Global
Biodiversity Framework requires reducing the rate of introduction and establishment of invasive
species by at least 50%.
Invasive species can enter marine ecosystems through various pathways, such as ballast water,
biofouling, discharged wastewater, escaped fish, imported bait and navigational canals. Lacking
natural predators in their new environments, invasive species often spread and become abundant.
Their ecological consequences can permeate food chains as they carry diseases, outcompete or prey
on native species and alter food webs. These impacts influence ecosystem functioning and can also
have socioeconomic and health implications. Managing invasive species is, therefore, vital for
preserving biodiversity and human welfare (SDG 14.2).
Research Guidance:
For this element to be met, the company must:
Monitor the presence of IAS in the location where it operates
OR
Have certification that covers this topic
Guidance:
This process focuses on the ongoing tracking and evaluation of the identified high-risk activities and their potential to introduce invasive alien species into the environment. It is a set of established procedures and guidelines for monitoring IAS risks, including detection methods, data collection, analysis, and reporting. The documented process ensures that the company maintains a consistent and structured approach to monitoring IAS risks, which enables the company to take timely and appropriate action if an IAS introduction is detected or suspected.
The company monitors the area of operations and, in the case of vessels, monitors vessels hulls for the presence of attached organisms that can be potential IAS.
The company has provided evidence of their monitoring efforts (e.g., monitoring reports, expert consultations, or case studies). This point verifies that the company actively monitors IAS introduction and risks.
Example of compliance: The company shares monitoring reports, expert consultation records, or case studies that demonstrate its ongoing efforts to monitor IAS introduction risks.
License
Topics
Framework Mappings
Value Type
Category
Options
Yes
No
Not Applicable
Assessment
Steward Assessed
Report Type
Aggregate Data Report