The Mitigation Hierarchy & Biodiversity Offsets Explained
How the mitigation hierarchy works under IFC PS6 — avoid, minimise, restore, offset — and what credible biodiversity offsets, no net loss and net gain actually require.
Insights · Page 11
Analysis on UAE and GCC ESG, climate risk, and assurance.
Practitioner perspectives on regulatory developments, methodology questions, and the issues we see most often in client work — written by senior team members actively delivering engagements across the Gulf.
2025
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IFC Performance Standard 6: Biodiversity & Critical Habitat Explained
How IFC Performance Standard 6 (PS6) works — habitat classification, the mitigation hierarchy, critical habitat, and the net-gain requirement for lender-financed GCC projects.
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ESIA & ESIA Scoping: The Umbrella Process for GCC Projects
What an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) is, why scoping matters, and how IFC and lender requirements shape ESIA for GCC infrastructure and energy projects.
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Critical Habitat Assessment under IFC PS6: What Triggers It
What a Critical Habitat Assessment is, the five IFC PS6 criteria that trigger it, how it is screened and confirmed, and what a net-gain outcome requires for GCC projects.
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Bird & Bat Surveys for Wind Farms: VP Method & Collision Risk
How vantage point (VP) bird and bat surveys work, what NatureScot and BCT guidance require, and how the data feeds collision risk modelling for IFC-aligned wind projects.
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Biodiversity Baseline & Adaptive Management for Renewables
Why a robust biodiversity baseline matters, the limits of single-season data, and how an adaptive management framework keeps IFC PS6-aligned renewable projects compliant.
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UAE Waste Law & the Circular Economy: A 2026 Guide
How the UAE's waste regulation works in 2026 — Federal Law 12 of 2018, the National Agenda for Integrated Waste Management 2023–2026, the plastic ban and EPR explained.
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The UAE Single-Use Plastic Ban 2026: A Compliance Guide for Business
From 1 January 2026 the UAE bans a wide range of single-use plastics nationwide. What's prohibited, what's exempt, and what businesses must do to comply.
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UAE Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) 2026: What Producers Must Do
The UAE is moving to a national Extended Producer Responsibility framework in 2026. What EPR means for producers and brand owners of packaging, electronics and batteries.
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How New GCC Environmental Rules Feed Your ESG Report
CBAM, the UAE plastic ban, EPR, the Climate Law and new GCC disclosure mandates all land in one place: your ESG report. A 2026 map of what connects to what.