Contact us

Our work

  • Deliverables, in focus

BENCHES study outlines the need for sport-specific biodiversity tool

Only 6% of biodiversity tools, frameworks and guidelines have specific relevance for the sports industry, according to an analysis conducted by the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies.

A ‘biodiversity existing tool analysis report’, which was produced as part of the Erasmus+ funded BENCHES project, identified several tools, frameworks and guidelines that could be potentially adaptable for sport. 

But ultimately the study outlined the need for a freely-available sport-specific tool to be developed in order to reflect the importance of a healthy environment to sport, and, conversely, the impact sport can have on the natural environment.

In the study of 95 biodiversity impact assessment tools, frameworks and guidelines, 26% were identified as ‘very adaptable’ to the sports sector, while a further 36% were labelled as ‘potentially adaptable’.

They were assessed on further criteria, such as ‘accessibility for BENCHES partners’, ‘ease of use’, ‘relevance for BENCHES aims’ and ‘pressures addressed’, while 7 were explored in more detail.

Six of those – CSR Europe’s Biodiversity Risk Scan, Capitals Coalition’s Natural Capital Protocol, Science Based Targets for Nature, BioScope and the Product Biodiversity Footprint (PBF) – were identified as ‘very adaptable’ to sport.

The Biodiversity Risk Scan’s five-step methodology was referenced as such because of its “general structure” that associates a company’s activities with biodiversity pressures.

Because of its consideration of both terrestrial and aquatic impacts, as well as on-site and supply chain, the Natural Capital Protocol was also highlighted as ‘very adaptable’. Its accessibility and robustness was put forward as another positive aspect.

Notably, the Science Based Targets for Nature has a Materiality Screening Tool that provides a rating of materiality for different activities, including sporting events, making it potentially quite relevant to a sporting context. However, the assessment notes that production processes associated with sport only extend to infrastructure holding and leisure facility provision.

Both BioScope and the Product Biodiversity Footprint (PBF) both apply the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method, making their frameworks universal and very adaptable to the sporting context, though time-consuming and requiring expertise.

All six of the frameworks assessed in detail are freely available and cost nothing.

The BENCHES project aims to strengthen the relationship between sports and nature by raising awareness of how sports depend on and affect ecosystems. It has four main aims: supporting the implementation of nature-based solutions in sport; enhancing knowledge about biodiversity in sport; analysing the current state of biodiversity management in sport; and ensuring visibility of nature in the sports sector.

Moreover, the project foresees the development of a free digitised biodiversity assessment tool for sport.

Alongside the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, the project’s technical partner, the project has five sports partners – World Sailing, International Biathlon Union, Italian Canoe Kayak Federation, S.L Benfica and World Athletics – as well as a communications partner (Touchline).

You can read the full reports here and here.

  • in focus

BENCHES project to assess sport’s impact and dependency on nature

A three-year project, funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme, will investigate the interdependence of sport and surrounding ecosystems, examining its dependency and impact on the natural environment.

Led by the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, the BENCHES project (Biodiversity, Ecosystems and Nature Conservation Helped and Enhanced by Sports) aims to enhance understanding and awareness while developing tools and practices to measure, manage and mitigate the adverse impacts of sport on biodiversity.

In collaboration with sports partners including World Athletics, the International Biathlon Union, World Sailing, the Italian Canoe Kayak Federation and S.L. Benfica, the consortium will produce various deliverables, including research papers, reports, webinars, workshops, conferences and a key tool assessing both the impact of sports on biodiversity and how sports benefit from ecosystem services.

The BENCHES project commenced with a kick-off meeting in Pisa on 6 February, where the project parameters were discussed.

At the kick-off meeting, sports partners presented their ongoing efforts in the field. World Sailing, aligned with its organisational tagline ‘Sport, Technology and Nature’ and its 2018 sustainability strategy, Agenda 2030, highlighted projects addressing invasive species, biofouling management and its collaboration with the Marine Mammal Advisory Group.

The Italian Canoe Kayak Federation highlighted its sustainability journey, emphasising the “environmental vocation” of every canoeist. Key milestones include establishing its Environmental Commission in 2005, forming a partnership with WWF and showcasing initial results from its Erasmus+ funded DECK project (Developing Environmental Circular Knowledge).

Both the International Biathlon Union and World Athletics illustrated the integration of biodiversity and nature into their sustainability strategies. The former highlighted its Target 26 strategy, focusing on ecosystem protection, while the latter showcased the alignment of the BENCHES project with its 2020-2030 sustainability strategy and the Athletics for a Better World sustainable event standard.

London-based international agency Touchline, specialising in sport and sustainability, serves as the project’s dissemination partner. It will highlight the BENCHES team’s achievements and milestones through a dedicated website and regular online content.

Tiberio Daddi, associate professor as the Sant’Anna Institute of Management and Interdisciplinary Center on Sustainability and Climate, said: “This project has scope to be both innovative and impactful for the sports industry as we seek to uncover not only its impact on the natural environment but also its dependencies.

“Each of the sports represented in the BENCHES team has a unique relationship with nature across different terrains – from rivers, lakes and oceans to mountains and urban areas. We hope our findings will lead to the development of an assessment tool and processes that can help sport mitigate its impact on these delicate and cherished ecosystems.”