D2.1 Extended version: Benchmark for integration of biodiversity in Environmental Assessment Instruments, including chapter on test at 200 EAs from Denmark, Germany, Spain and Portugal

This benchmark reported is carried out in line with the purposes of the BioValue project. The specific purpose of the benchmark is to: A. Identify the current best practice guidance of integrating biodiversity into EAI especially related to spatial planning (the main purpose of this report). B. Compare the current best practice guidance to the current actual practice with the aim of improving the practice (comparison that will be made in Task 2.2). C. Establish an improved best practice guidance. This report documents the first part of the benchmark exercise relating to the first part of the purpose (A). Here, a benchmark is derived from twelve guidance documents focussed on biodiversity in EAI (task 2.1). The guidance documents are reviewed based on a framework of questions that are a mix of open and closed questions allowing for both structured and more grounded analysis (see table 4). Based on this, a benchmark is developed, which consists of closed questions allowing for a structured and quantitative analysis of a large number of EIA and SEA reports (task 2.2, (B). The structured and quantitative analysis is reported in the new chapter 6 in this extended version of the deliverable. Based on this and the gap analysis of task 2.4, the benchmark will be revisited, and relevant revisions will be made based on finding in literature and practice. In the later stages in the BioValue project, this will, together with knowledge from other parts of the project be used for development of a transformed practice (C). It is relevant to mention that this last part of the purpose goes beyond the definition of benchmarking by Bhutta and Huq (1999), as the BioValue project is not only concerned with development to reach the current best practice but to push much further, towards defining a new transformed practice.