Biodiversity Policy

Biodiversity is a priority.

Climate change and biodiversity loss are among the most complex and interwoven challenges that we face today. Biological diversity (“biodiversity”) is the term given to the variety of life on Earth and the natural patterns it forms. At CSFL we are responding to the urgent call to address these issues for a more sustainable future.

Together with working to decarbonize the world’s energy landscape, we are taking action to increase biodiversity by protecting, enhancing, and stewarding lands at our solar farms. Our solar farms are typically in place for up to 40 years with minimal land disturbance, providing opportunities for land use in addition to solar energy generation. This may include the creation or enhancement of beneficial habitats as well as agricultural production such as sheep grazing and bee keeping (“agrivoltaics”). These actions increase biodiversity and benefit local economies and communities.

Our aim is to achieve a Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) on our operating assets, measured 5+ years post-construction. To deliver this, we will develop a Biodiversity Management Plan (BMP) for each developed project.

What we’re going to do

• Adhere to the mitigation hierarchy. In our site assessment and planning processes we will seek first to avoid then to minimize negative impacts on existing ecosystems and restore or offset where we expect residual impact.
• Consider the local ecosystem to create project-specific goals. For our projects in development from 2023 onwards, we commit to developing BMPs in consultation with ecology and land management experts. These plans will set out how we will deliver a biodiversity net gain for the project.
• Implement protection and enhancement measures to deliver biodiversity net gain. In addition to preserving existing vegetation and habitats for local species, we will seek to enhance biodiversity at the site. Our biodiversity plans may also integrate with other initiatives including agrivoltaics, wider ecosystem services, and carbon sequestration.

How we’re going to do it

• Work with others and make use of available scientific knowledge. We will engage with conservation and academic communities to collaborate on and support the latest research on solar and biodiversity.
• We will actively participate in industry trade associations to advocate for integrating biodiversity enhancements into solar farm development.
• Be transparent. Through our project-specific biodiversity management plans, we will ensure there is a measurable outcome. Additionally, in our annual sustainability reporting, we will disclose progress towards our biodiversity net gain goal, and other relevant measures to demonstrate both the risks and opportunities in biodiversity.
• Integrate biodiversity into our decision-making processes. Monitor, maintain and adapt for long-term outcomes. Project-specific management plans detail how the habitats need to be managed over the life of the project to meet the biodiversity goals. For our greenfield projects, we will work in an integrated way across our organisation and with our contractors to monitor delivery of these plans, adapt the plans based on measured outcomes, and steward the land through operations.
• Provide oversight and governance of delivery and related risks and opportunities through project assurance, and our corporate sustainability governance process, including periodic review and revision of this policy.