Welcome to the homepage of the Habitat Bank!
The Habitat Bank is a research consortium studying and developing ecological compensations. Our objective is to create new ways of halting biodiversity loss in Finland. In Habitat Banks’s projects, we analyse the applicability of ecological compensations in Finland with research and pilot projects. Our research is highly interdisciplinary: our combined scientific expertise covers natural science, social science, economics and law.
Ecological compensations?
Ecological compensation (biodiversity offsetting) is a mechanism where ecological damage caused by human activity (e.g. infrastructure projects or other economic activity) is compensated. Actors needing compensation can restore or protect habitats themselves or purchase compensation from a third party. A ‘polluter pays’ principle is brought to biodiversity conservation, as the party responsible compensates the ecological damage it causes. Thus, ecological compensations complement the current policy instrument mix for nature conservation.