which prevents change of land use to a type incompatible with maintaining desired wetland offset state for at least 99 years. Wetland receives full legal protection through permanent inclusion in and declaration as (part of) a Nature Reserve or Highest possible level of area of equivalent status under NEMPAA, or alternatively protection permanently securing the site through other legal mechanisms such as a 2 secured conservation servitude on the title deed in combination with long term contractual obligations to manage and maintain the site as if it was a declared Protected Area under NEMPAA. Catering for risks associated with planned offset activities Rationale: Offset contributions for species of conservation concern are also adjusted to take the risk / uncertainty of proposed offset activities into account. Method of assessment: This assessment is based on the expert input of an appropriate biodiversity specialist with appropriate knowledge of the risk and uncertainties of different offset options. An appropriate risk class is then selected from the drop-down list provided. Scoring guideline: The following guidelines should be used when assessing the risk of planned offset activities for species of conservation concern: Adjustment Risk Class Example of offset activities factor Protection of a site already supporting a viable population of the Low risk 1 targeted species. Site already supports suitable habitat with re-introductions planned Medium risk together with supporting management to establish a viable 0.5 population of the species. Site requiring a high level of rehabilitation in order to provide suitable habitat and / or risks associated with re-establishment of populations High risk 0.25 is high based on the characteristics of the species and population characteristics. Calculating final offset contributions The contribution of offset activities towards targets for each species of conservation concern is calculated by multiplying the preliminary species contributions (expressed as an appropriate species measure) by the adjustment factors for security of tenure and level of risk.
which prevents change of land use to a type incompatible with maintaining desired wetland offset state for at least 99 years. Highest possible level of protection permanently secured Wetland receives full legal protection through permanent inclusion in and declaration as (part of) a Nature Reserve or area of equivalent status under NEMPAA, or alternatively securing the site through other legal mechanisms such as a conservation servitude on the title deed in combination with long term contractual obligations to manage and maintain the site as if it was a declared Protected Area under NEMPAA. 2 Catering for risks associated with planned offset activities Rationale: Offset contributions for species of conservation concern are also adjusted to take the risk / uncertainty of proposed offset activities into account. Method of assessment: This assessment is based on the expert input of an appropriate biodiversity specialist with appropriate knowledge of the risk and uncertainties of different offset options. An appropriate risk class is then selected from the drop-down list provided. Scoring guideline: The following guidelines should be used when assessing the risk of planned offset activities for species of conservation concern: Risk Class Example of offset activities Adjustment factor Low risk Protection of a site already supporting a viable population of the targeted species. 1 Medium risk Site already supports suitable habitat with re-introductions planned together with supporting management to establish a viable population of the species. 0.5 High risk Site requiring a high level of rehabilitation in order to provide suitable habitat and / or risks associated with re-establishment of populations is high based on the characteristics of the species and population characteristics. 0.25 Calculating final offset contributions The contribution of offset activities towards targets for each species of conservation concern is calculated by multiplying the preliminary species contributions (expressed as an appropriate species measure) by the adjustment factors for security of tenure and level of risk.
Guidelines-for-applying-the-wetlands-offset-calculator_version-5.docx