Offset: balancing the scales to preserve natural heritage (5/5)
Preserving biodiversity also means looking beyond our sites. When our impacts on nature cannot be totally avoided, reduced or restored, we move on to the ultimate stage: offset. This final phase of the biodiversity mitigation hierarchy aims to balance the scales by generating biodiversity gains outside our sites at least equivalent to the losses caused by our activities.
Discover how we implement offset measures through concrete examples of wetlands and habitat restoration in Sandersville, USA, and in Clérac, France.
One objective : generate a biodiversity gain
Offsetting involves taking action in areas often outside our projects to generate a gain in biodiversity at least equivalent to the loss on our sites. In concrete terms, this may involve restoring areas degraded by other human activities or conserving protected natural areas.
For example, in our forest management plans, we make our streamside management zones three times wider than what is recommended in Georgia's forestry best practices. This approach creates wider wildlife corridors, gives more shade from the sun to keep the streams cooler, and also provides nesting habitats for bats and migratory birds.
In some regions or countries, offset measures have been mandatory. It is the case in France since 2016 where biodiversity laws are robust.
3 steps to implementing compensation measures:
- Evaluation of our residual impacts with experts, after the avoidance, reduction and restoration stages.
- Comparison of losses and potential gains through offset measures.
- Selection of effective actions and rigorous long-term monitoring. To do this, we deployed the ECOVAL tool supported by PatriNat, our French scientific partner organization on biodiversity. It enables us to assess the loss and gain of biodiversity and to check if offset objectives are achieved. We implemented it at various pilot sites in France, including Clérac.
Throughout the process, we collaborate with local communities, experts and authorities to address social, ecological and legal issues.
Offsetting in action: concrete projects deployed across the Group
Restoring wetlands in Sandersville, USA
In the heart of Georgia, United States, the Sandersville wetlands are home to a rich diversity of wildlife and plants. These ecosystems purify water, prevent flooding, and provide habitats for species. However, they are disappearing three times faster than forests, making their preservation urgent. But our kaolin extraction activities, essential for the pharmaceutical, ceramics and automotive industries, impact these wetlands.
Monty Sanders, Lands Manager, has been transforming Sandersville’s former kaolin quarries into thriving wetlands since 2001, in parallel with the mining activities. In addition to avoiding and minimizing our impact on wetlands that didn't have mineable reserves, we engaged in several compensatory activities consisting of:
Creating nearly 190 hectares of wetlands
Restoring over 14 kilometers of streams
Protecting 485 hectares of bottomland hardwood swamp along the Oconee River
Today, these efforts have transformed the wetland creation site into a haven for biodiversity, with habitat for Sandhill Cranes, Woodstorks, Wooducks, Greenwing Teal, Loggerhead Snapping Turtles, Redbreast SunFish just to name a few of the species that inhabit this created wetland. There is rich flora including Bald Cypress, Overcup Oak, Swamp Chestnut Oak, River Birch, Black Willow, Water Tupelo and Willow Oak to name a few of the tree species.
Recreating habitats in Clérac, France
On the other side of the Atlantic, in Clérac, France, Nathan Delas, Environment & Land Technician, is piloting an inspiring project. On this century-old clay extraction site, a mineral that can be found in our kitchen ovens or bathroom showers, we initiated the recreation of over 110 hectares of habitat to offset our impact. In a region affected by biodiversity loss and soil drying, this includes the creation of wetlands and heathlands to diversify ecosystems.
This initiative consists of:
- Selecting a suitable site.
- Shaping the site by enlarging existing hollows to retain water or creating ponds.
- Protecting the species already present: for instance, for the vole, we have installed devices to facilitate its migration and to create alternative habitats.
- Monitoring these areas for the regulatory period of 30 years.
These efforts are already showing results, as demonstrated by the reproduction of the dragonfly White-fronted Leucorrhinia, one of the endangered species in the region.
Protecting biodiversity takes time, but it’s worth doing properly. We work closely with local environmental non-governmental organizations to guide our offsetting actions. Working on these projects helped me develop an awareness and sensitivity to nature that I didn’t have before.
Protecting grasslands in Luzenac, France
Offsetting isn’t limited to wetlands. In the French Pyrenees, we are working to preserve alpine grasslands. These open habitats are threatened by shrub encroachment, which is reducing the biodiversity of these ecosystems. This is the case at the Trimouns talc quarry, where the surrounding open habitats are gradually being invaded by shrubs. To counteract this, we launched a project that combines ecological restoration and traditional pastoralism:
- In 2024, we restored nearly 55 hectares of grasslands, encouraging the return of local species.
- We introduced sustainable grazing practices using sheep to naturally control shrub growth and preserve plant diversity.
- We integrated this initiative into a broader compensation program covering 240 hectares at the site.
Through this series of articles, we've shared our commitments and our concrete actions in preserving natural heritage for future generations. We fully recognize the impact of our activities and are committed to limiting them with rigor, humility and continuous improvement.
- Our commitment: towards no net loss of biodiversity.
- Using the biodiversity mitigation hierarchy to prioritize our actions.
- Working with experts to develop an approach based on science.
- Addressing our main impact, biodiversity habitat degradation, on 20 priority extraction sites.
Find out more in this article.
The management of biodiversity is a complex topic because of the inherent intertwined interconnections within nature. It creates another challenge: there is no standardized method or single indicator to measure biodiversity. There are, however, recognized tools to manage ecological impacts. Mitigation hierarchy is a widely used scientific approach that aims to limit the negative impact on biodiversity based on a step methodology of avoiding, minimizing, restoring and finally offsetting the impact. The biodiversity mitigation hierarchy is the cornerstone of our biodiversity policy.
1 hectare = 10,000 m² (about 1.5 soccer fields).
Wetlands play a critical role in supporting biodiversity and human health by purifying water, preventing flooding, and providing vital habitats for a wide range of species. However, wetlands are disappearing at an alarming rate : three times faster than forests. This rapid loss underscores the urgent need to preserve these ecosystems.
Discover how we’re working towards no net loss of biodiversity:
From a volcanic island in Greece to a forest in Austria, we adapt to the unique local climatic conditions of each site with the same objective: to bring nature back by restoring our quarries.
When our impacts on nature cannot be completely avoided or minimized, the third step of the biodiversity mitigation hierarchy aims at repairing what extractive activities are altering.
In this third article of our biodiversity campaign, we move on to the second step of the mitigation hierarchy: Minimization. This step of the biodiversity mitigation hierarchy, focuses on reducing residual impacts throughout the lifecycle of our projects. By combining scientific expertise, local adaptation, and employee engagement, Imerys is actively working to minimize its impact on natural heritage. From protecting peregrine falcons in the United Kingdom (UK) to managing invasive species in Thailand, our teams around the world are taking actions to safeguard biodiversity.
To preserve natural heritage, it is essential to anticipate and limit impacts right from the project design phase. This involves rigorous analysis of the ecological context and the implementation of appropriate measures to minimize our footprint on ecosystems.
In the previous article, we presented our commitments, strategy, protocols and tools built with scientific experts and deployed across the Group to help protect biodiversity. For this second article, we talk about the first and crucial stage of the biodiversity mitigation hierarchy.
More than ever, we must act to preserve our endangered natural heritage, as highlighted during the United Nations COP 16 on Biological Diversity held from October 21 to November 1 2024 in Cali, Colombia. At Imerys, we are committed to mitigating the biodiversity loss that our activities can cause. How ? We tell you all about it in our first voluntary Biodiversity Report, from our commitments to our scientific approach and concrete actions on the ground. Over the coming weeks, a series of articles will showcase how we are turning these commitments into life. Let’s start with the key takeaways from our first-ever voluntary biodiversity report.