OCE-B.15.A - Ecologically Sensitive Location Interface Identification
Does the company identify its interface with ecologically sensitive locations?
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
The private sector has historically been one of the main contributors to environmental
degradation. It is crucial for companies to reverse this trend to ensure a sustainable future. A vital first
step in this process is for companies to transparently disclose their impacts on nature. Frameworks
provided by organisations such as Business for Nature, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Nature Action
100 (NA100) and the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) offer comprehensive
guidelines to help companies report and mitigate their environmental footprints.
Research Guidance:
Companies must disclose the locations of assets or activities in the organization's direct operations (and where possible, value chain) that are in or near ecologically sensitive locations, following [TNFD guidance (pg. 58)](https://tnfd.global/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Guidance_on_the_identification_and_assessment_of_nature-related_Issues_The_TNFD_LEAP_approach_V1.1_October2023.pdf?v=1698403116).
If the company reports that none of its operations are located in or near ecologically sensitive locations, in order for the element to be met, the company must provide justification with a methodology or tool used for determination, and additionally report which products and services in its value chain have the most significant impacts on nature, as well as the countries or jurisdictions where the activities associated with these products and services take place.
Sensitive locations include any of the following:
Areas important for biodiversity (e.g. protected areas, biodiversity hotspots, areas important for species, areas containing rare or threatened ecosystems, ecological corridors.)
Areas of high ecosystem integrity (e.g. areas that contain large opportunities for safeguarding stocks of environmental assets and maintaining ecosystem service provision.)
Areas of rapid decline in ecosystem integrity (e.g. areas with declining resilience of ecosystem service provision, areas with high exposure to an organisation's dependency-related risks, areas potentially at risk of ecological tipping points.)
Areas of high physical water risks (e.g. limited water availability, flooding, poor quality of water.)
Areas of importance for ecosystem service provision (e.g. areas in which healthy ecosystems and biodiversity support local livelihoods, areas in which biodiversity and ecosystem services are important for the realisation of human rights, areas important for Indigenous Peoples and local communities.)
In addition to the guidance provided in the LEAP approach, organizations can use other metrics and datasets for identifying and measuring sensitive locations. Examples include:
- Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) dataset;
- The IMMA e-Atlas Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force;
- Ocean+ Habitat Datasets;
- The FAO Database for Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs);
- The Mapping Ocean Wealth Explorer – in particular, the mangroves dataset;
- The OSPAR List of Threatened and/or Declining Habitats;
- IMO's Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas;
- Birdlife International's List of Important Bird Areas;
- Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) – in particular, those with a no-take policy in place;
- Coastal Risk Index; and
- Convex Seascape Survey
- CBD Ecologically or biologically significant marine areas.
- FAO Vulnerable marine ecosystems.
degradation. It is crucial for companies to reverse this trend to ensure a sustainable future. A vital first
step in this process is for companies to transparently disclose their impacts on nature. Frameworks
provided by organisations such as Business for Nature, Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), Nature Action
100 (NA100) and the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) offer comprehensive
guidelines to help companies report and mitigate their environmental footprints.
Research Guidance:
Companies must disclose the locations of assets or activities in the organization's direct operations (and where possible, value chain) that are in or near ecologically sensitive locations, following [TNFD guidance (pg. 58)](https://tnfd.global/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Guidance_on_the_identification_and_assessment_of_nature-related_Issues_The_TNFD_LEAP_approach_V1.1_October2023.pdf?v=1698403116).
If the company reports that none of its operations are located in or near ecologically sensitive locations, in order for the element to be met, the company must provide justification with a methodology or tool used for determination, and additionally report which products and services in its value chain have the most significant impacts on nature, as well as the countries or jurisdictions where the activities associated with these products and services take place.
Sensitive locations include any of the following:
Areas important for biodiversity (e.g. protected areas, biodiversity hotspots, areas important for species, areas containing rare or threatened ecosystems, ecological corridors.)
Areas of high ecosystem integrity (e.g. areas that contain large opportunities for safeguarding stocks of environmental assets and maintaining ecosystem service provision.)
Areas of rapid decline in ecosystem integrity (e.g. areas with declining resilience of ecosystem service provision, areas with high exposure to an organisation's dependency-related risks, areas potentially at risk of ecological tipping points.)
Areas of high physical water risks (e.g. limited water availability, flooding, poor quality of water.)
Areas of importance for ecosystem service provision (e.g. areas in which healthy ecosystems and biodiversity support local livelihoods, areas in which biodiversity and ecosystem services are important for the realisation of human rights, areas important for Indigenous Peoples and local communities.)
In addition to the guidance provided in the LEAP approach, organizations can use other metrics and datasets for identifying and measuring sensitive locations. Examples include:
- Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) dataset;
- The IMMA e-Atlas Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force;
- Ocean+ Habitat Datasets;
- The FAO Database for Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems (VMEs);
- The Mapping Ocean Wealth Explorer – in particular, the mangroves dataset;
- The OSPAR List of Threatened and/or Declining Habitats;
- IMO's Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas;
- Birdlife International's List of Important Bird Areas;
- Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) – in particular, those with a no-take policy in place;
- Coastal Risk Index; and
- Convex Seascape Survey
- CBD Ecologically or biologically significant marine areas.
- FAO Vulnerable marine ecosystems.
License
Topics
Framework Mappings
Value Type
Category
Options
Yes
No
Assessment
Steward Assessed
Report Type
Aggregate Data Report