Indicator Economy and Consumption

Biodiversity footprint

The production, use and disposal of goods consumed in Switzerland are linked to land uses that can damage biodiversity. The “biodiversity footprint” indicator shows the extent of this damage.  It is based on the potential species loss (i.e. the probability of a species becoming globally extinct) caused by specific types of land use, such as agriculture and settlements, compared to the natural state. It is calculated differently depending on the region of the world: If forest is turned into agricultural land in Europe, the potential biodiversity losses are lower than if this occurred in a rain forest region.

The indicator includes land uses abroad that are caused by imported products (footprint perspective).

Assessment of the state
poor poor
Assessment of the trend
negative negative
Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2019: 5.07311383282558 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2019: 2.16977892831847 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2018: 5.00825404587211 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2018: 2.17862029247857 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2017: 5.0938589649007 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2017: 2.24253392928484 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2016: 5.03759778770437 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2016: 2.27387303115487 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2015: 5.12511134727962 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2015: 2.32992161495346 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2014: 5.07815139585494 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2014: 2.31065531017644 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2013: 5.05156520723484 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2013: 2.35836682396944 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2012: 4.78472194613619 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2012: 2.37395335325475 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2011: 4.76088946093434 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2011: 2.39725843515545 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2010: 4.71245714096302 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2010: 2.43690455803858 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2009: 4.50622242454134 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2009: 2.49809550706387 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2008: 4.57177337122758 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2008: 2.46780848851593 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2007: 4.63404473244184 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2007: 2.52149445075808 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2006: 4.43957279883212 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2006: 2.63316700535763 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2005: 4.20830715881628 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2005: 2.71413882818976 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2004: 3.98482986077946 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2004: 2.73836287857819 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2003: 4.05000769126764 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2003: 2.83877926121298 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2002: 3.86535952954468 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2002: 2.83480567121214 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2001: 3.82323785674601 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2001: 2.78828522113131 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2000: 3.86014281657056 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2000: 2.79447862837127
Pico-PDF*a: Potentially disappeared fraction of species due to land use (per capita)

Data for the graph: Excel
Source: EBP/Treeze 2022
Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2019: 43.6593850580534 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2019: 18.6731890598134 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2018: 42.7931619178134 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2018: 18.615279911831 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2017: 43.216961659883 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2017: 19.0259493854634 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2016: 42.4143064534664 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2016: 19.14498767946 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2015: 42.6774479528272 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2015: 19.4015508578409 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2014: 41.8321150964868 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2014: 19.0344066863599 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2013: 41.1178767593301 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2013: 19.1962357097532 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2012: 38.4646668083056 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2012: 19.0843534440161 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2011: 37.8712664810949 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2011: 19.0693805783105 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2010: 37.0588195060189 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2010: 19.1638466872701 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2009: 35.0845735903285 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2009: 19.4496869874709 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2008: 35.2111401698294 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2008: 19.0067056141273 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2007: 35.1885908715288 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2007: 19.1469529828648 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2006: 33.3355934179299 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2006: 19.771763786642 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2005: 31.390301760927 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2005: 20.2451089292374 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2004: 29.5479198703255 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2004: 20.3052400576709 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2003: 29.8248560396332 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2003: 20.9051906189031 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2002: 28.2706713912389 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2002: 20.7333519628119 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2001: 27.7400872250128 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2001: 20.230830029557 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use abroad 2000: 27.8086811584292 Pressure on global biodiversity due to consumption-based land use in Switzerland 2000: 20.1315777351112
Mikro-PDF*a: Potentially disappeared fraction of species due to land use

Data for the graph: Excel
Source: EBP/Treeze 2022
Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2019: 100.229606209498 Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2018: 99.9556713764846 Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2017: 97.3801342195925 Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2016: 97.0532752171262 Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2015: 95.6392273225645 Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2014: 96.0904251810208 Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2013: 94.1559734432945 Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2012: 99.1998804118668 Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2011: 101.446404722244 Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2010: 98.0435433452111 Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2009: 101.159333274962 Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2008: 99.5653426849774 Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2007: 96.5245214554118 Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2006: 98.3927586726118 Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2005: 99.1848101442738 Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2004: 98.6285633143214 Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2003: 97.1625042262596 Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2002: 99.6782743924568 Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2001: 101.770510110426 Changes in biodiversity efficiency (quotient of economic final demand and the biodiversity footprint) 2000: 100

Data for the graph: Excel
Source: EBP/Treeze 2022
Comment

Per capita, the pressure on biodiversity caused by Swiss consumption increased by around 9% from 2000 to 2019. It amounted to 7.2 species-years per trillion species (pico-PDF∙a, see Method) in 2019. In fact, the pressure abroad continued to rise sharply, while the domestic share of the biodiversity footprint fell from 42% to 30%. Foodstuffs and animal feed account for the largest share of the imported biodiversity footprint.

Due to the growth of the resident population in Switzerland, the absolute biodiversity footprint has increased even more than the biodiversity footprint per capita, i.e. from 48 to 62 micro-PDF∙a.

This means that species loss caused by Swiss consumption alone is occurring at a similar rate as the observed natural global loss of one species per million annually (cf. Frischknecht et al. 2018; Steffen et al. 2015). A comparison with the natural extinction rate shows that Switzerland’s biodiversity footprint is far in excess of the threshold value – the value which, when extrapolated to the world’s population, is in line with the planet’s capacity. Because of this and the increase, the current state and trend are assessed as negative.

The pressure on biodiversity has increased to the same extent as Swiss final demand; in other words, prosperity and pressure on the natural world have not been decoupled at all, and biodiversity efficiency has not improved.

International comparison

It is not possible to make an international comparison is not possible at this time for reasons of methodology.

Method

The method corresponds to the interim recommendation of the UNEP-Life Cycle Initiative. It is based on Chaudhary et al. (2016) and quantifies the long-term expected potential loss caused by a specific land use (such as agriculture or settlements) compared to an untouched, natural reference state and takes into account that different land uses affect biodiversity with varying degrees of intensity. It also takes the vulnerability of species into consideration and converts the regional decline of commonly occurring species and the global extinction of endemic species into “completely globally extinct species”. Thus, it subsumes – similar to the way the greenhouse warming potential uses the kg of CO2-equivalent unit for greenhouse gases – varying impact intensities under one indicator. The equivalents of potentially globally extinct species are integrated over the years (a) and quantified per million species (micro-PDF∙a) or per trillion species (pico-PDF∙a) [1]. It describes the likelihood that species will become irreversibly extinct due to land use.

Relationship to Switzerland’s Red Lists: The biodiversity footprint indicates the long-term potential species loss on a global level. Its approach differs substantially from that of the Red Lists and the corresponding data on biodiversity in Switzerland. This is why the biodiversity footprint cannot be compared with the latter. In addition, the biodiversity footprint covers only the main cause of species loss, i.e. land use. Other drivers of biodiversity loss such as climate change, nitrogen and pesticide inputs are not taken into account.

[1] Pico-PDF·a = 10-12 PDF·a (i.e. one trillionth PDF·a); PDF = potentially disappeared fraction of species; the term ‘species-years’ refers to this integration over time.

The underlying calculation is taken from the publication "Environmental Footprints of Switzerland: Developments from 2000 to 2018" (EBP/Treeze 2022) as well as an update by EBP.

Basis for assessment of the trend
Targeted trend Initial value Final value Variation in % Observed trend Assessment
Decrease Average 2000-2002 Average 2017-2019 9.01% Growth negative
 
Last updated on: 21.08.2023

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