Unlike carbon credits, which focus on a single global metric (tonnes of CO₂ equivalent), biodiversity credits are inherently . A credit for wetland restoration in Louisiana is not ecologically equivalent to one for savanna protection in Kenya.
Biodiversity credits are not a silver bullet. They work best as part of a mitigation hierarchy : first avoid, then minimize, then restore on-site, and only as a last resort use high-quality credits. When designed with robust metrics, independent verification, and respect for Indigenous rights, they offer a promising way to channel private finance directly into the living world—before it is too late. biodiversity credits
What are they? Biodiversity credits are tradable financial instruments that represent a verified, measurable, and permanent unit of biodiversity gain. One credit typically corresponds to a specific improvement in an ecosystem—such as an increase in the population of a threatened species, restoration of native habitat, or enhancement of ecosystem integrity. Unlike carbon credits, which focus on a single