BPS framework owned by NORMATYS · tool operated by IRICE, a third-party evaluation body · framework approved by the Biodiversity Standard Council
Biodiversity performance, evaluated with the rigour of an ESG tool.
Ecological diagnosis of the site, scoring of the design, findings at delivery. An evaluation report and an attestation signed by IRICE.
The BPS worldwide: one standard comparable across every countryBPS is a biodiversity diagnostic and scoring tool, signed by IRICE, usable at every phase of a project.
Key Facts
- Assessment phases
- Baseline · Design · Delivery
- Total criteria
- 70+ multi-theme criteria, 6 themes
- Deliverables
- Evaluation report · Attestation signed by IRICE
- Target audience
- Project owners and Biodiversity Partners
Role in the range
The BPS prepares, compares and steers. Effinature certifies.
How it works
The qualified Biodiversity Partner creates the project. The project owner provides the data. Data entry is carried out together. The platform produces the report and the attestation.
The scale
Biodiversity Performance Score
- A+ Exemplary
- A High performance
- B Performing
- C Adequate
- D Insufficient
- E Low
- F Very low
- G Critical
- Criteria
- 70+
- multi-theme criteria
- Themes
- 6
- themes
- Phases
- 3
- active phases, operations on the roadmap
The phases
- Baseline
- Design
- Delivery
- Operations · coming
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Who It's For
Four audiences, one method.
BPS makes biodiversity comparable across assets, defensible in ESG reporting and actionable for professionals.
Project Owners
Developers, social housing providers, land developers, local authorities, real estate investors. A flexible tool that adapts to your construction, renovation or development projects, without locking you into a rigid grid. A score that is easy to communicate, an IRICE-signed report to present to your stakeholders.
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Multi-site estates
International groups, REITs, retail networks, operators of existing estates. An estate is not a stock of assets to be audited: it is a continuous works programme. Every renovated site is a project - baseline, design, delivery - and the BPS applies to the flow, at the pace of the capital plan. One common rule across the whole estate, a score per asset, an aggregation across the estate, comparability that holds from one continent to another. Criteria that do not apply are excluded from the achievable maximum: an existing asset is scored on what actually concerns it.
ESG Officers
CSR directors, compliance teams, CSRD teams, SFDR Article 8 and 9 fund managers. An auditable, quantified indicator that feeds into your non-financial reporting and DNSH biodiversity assessments (EU Taxonomy, Objective 6). A documented evaluation report your statutory auditors can check line by line.
Ecologists and advisers
Environmental consultancies, biodiversity advisors, independent ecologists. A qualifying pathway (IRICE Biodiversity Partner), a referential to add to your service portfolio. Qualification is delivered by IRICE against a published curriculum, with an individual qualification number listed in a public directory.
Why evaluate biodiversity
Biodiversity is becoming a mandatory metric for real estate portfolios.
CSRD (ESRS E4), TNFD, SBTN, GRI 304, the EU Taxonomy and SFDR: ESG and regulatory frameworks now call for objective biodiversity performance indicators. A qualitative commitment is no longer enough: a score, a report, a documented methodology are needed. BPS makes biodiversity quantified, comparable and defensible.
CSRD · ESRS E4
Structured biodiversity reporting: sites, pressures, action plans, indicators. The BPS score feeds the quantitative datapoints directly.
TNFD
LEAP approach - locate, evaluate, assess, prepare. The BPS provides the site-level metric that the Evaluate and Assess phases require.
SBTN
Science Based Targets for Nature: the BPS baseline documents the starting state against which a target is set.
GRI 304
Biodiversity disclosure: sites owned or managed in or adjacent to protected areas, and impacts on habitats.
EU Taxonomy
DNSH on Objective 6 requires an impact assessment. The BPS provides the methodological support.
SFDR
Article 8 and 9 funds declaring a biodiversity contribution must produce auditable metrics.
In France, the BPS also maps to the Climate & Resilience Act (Art. 35), Net Zero Land Take (ZAN) and the National Biodiversity Strategy 2030 - carried in the France annex.
What BPS does
A quantified assessment, a documented methodology, a signed report.
BPS is designed so that the score produced is objective, reproducible and verifiable. Each criterion is populated from field data or documentary sources; each data point is timestamped and linked to its contributor.
Site ecological assessment
Criteria covering the baseline state: vegetation layers, observed fauna, wetlands, heritage value, ecological corridors. The qualified Biodiversity Partner completes the assessment from field visits and documentary sources.
Design scoring
Criteria assessing siting choices, materials, green spaces, dark corridors, co-design between architect and ecologist. Each criterion carries a documented weighting.
Report and attestation signed by IRICE
Once data entry is complete, the platform produces a structured evaluation report and an individual score attestation signed by IRICE. These documents are directly usable for ESG reporting (CSRD ESRS E4, SFDR, EU Taxonomy).
Cross-asset comparison
Scores aggregate naturally at portfolio level. A housing provider or land developer can compare the biodiversity performance of multiple assets or projects against a consistent grid.
Assessment pathway
A 4-step process, co-built between the ecologist and the project owner.
Project creation
The qualified Biodiversity Partner creates the project. They invite the project owner and define the assessment scope: phase, site, referential.
Project data
The project owner provides the data. Plans, materials, schedule, supporting documents.
Collaborative data entry
Data entry is carried out together. The Biodiversity Partner enters the technical criteria; each data point is timestamped and linked to its author.
Report and attestation
The platform produces the report and the attestation. The attestation is signed by IRICE; deliverables can be reused for ESG reporting.
BPS Referential
The stages of the assessment
3 active phases: Baseline, Design, Delivery. Operations is on the roadmap.
Baseline
Ecological assessment of the site before intervention
Baseline criteria assessing the ecological quality of the site: vegetation layers, observed fauna, wetlands, ecological corridors, heritage value. Reference baseline for measuring the pre/post-intervention delta.
Design
Design choices & co-design
Design criteria covering siting choices, materials, green spaces, dark corridors, biodiversity-friendly structures, architect/ecologist co-design.
Delivery
End-of-works findings
Verifying the effective translation of the orientations: gaps between design and as-built, checks on delivered features. Produces the final BPS.
Operations
ComingMulti-year monitoring
Long-term monitoring: management plans, ecological upkeep, maintenance. The fourth stage of the referential, under construction.
For ecologists
Become a Biodiversity Partner
Ecologist, environmental consultancy or advisory firm: obtain your Biodiversity Partner qualification from IRICE and access the BPS platform to support your clients in assessing the biodiversity performance of their projects.
- Full access to the BPS assessment platform
- Project creation and client (project owner) invitations
- Generation of IRICE score attestations and evaluation reports
- Listing in the public Biodiversity Partner directory
- Individual qualification number
How to become a BP?
-
1
Apply
Complete the application form with your references and qualifications.
-
2
Train
Complete the BPS referential training delivered by IRICE and obtain your individual qualification number.
-
3
Get qualified
Receive your individual BP qualification number and access the platform.
Assessor network
A qualified assessor network
BPS assessments are carried out by qualified Biodiversity Partners. Qualification is delivered by IRICE against a published curriculum and grants an individual qualification number, listed in a public directory.
Where no local assessor is qualified yet, delivery is verified remotely: an assessor-directed video survey, geolocated and timestamped evidence with an integrity seal, satellite imagery support, and a local third party engaged on a risk-based sample.
Qualification transfers the method to local professionals rather than exporting assessors. Capacity is built where the estate is.
Frequently asked questions
Understanding BPS in 7 questions
Answers to the most common questions from project owners and ecologists.
What is BPS?
BPS - Biodiversity Performance Score - is a biodiversity performance assessment tool for building projects, operated by IRICE. It produces an objective, documented score based on criteria covering three phases: Baseline (ecological assessment of the site before intervention), Design (design choices, materials, co-design) and Delivery (end-of-works findings). BPS is a biodiversity diagnostic and scoring tool, signed by IRICE, usable at every phase of a project.
Is BPS a certification?
BPS is an evaluation and decision-support tool, signed by IRICE. It produces an objective score, a documented evaluation report and an individual score attestation. The BPS prepares, compares and steers. Effinature certifies. Its framework is approved by the Biodiversity Standard Council (BSC). The BPS score feeds ESG reporting (CSRD ESRS E4, SFDR, EU Taxonomy) and operational action plans.
Who is BPS for?
BPS serves two audiences. On one hand, project owners - developers, social housing providers, local authorities, real estate investors, land developers - seeking an objective assessment of the biodiversity performance of an asset or project. On the other hand, ecologists, environmental consultancies and advisory firms - who access BPS by qualifying as Biodiversity Partners with IRICE.
How does a Biodiversity Partner use BPS?
The Biodiversity Partner applies to IRICE, completes the BPS referential training, obtains their individual qualification number and gains access to the platform. They can create projects, invite their clients (project owners) for collaborative data entry, generate IRICE evaluation reports and attestations, and appear in the public Biodiversity Partner directory.
What criteria are assessed?
The BPS referential covers over 70 criteria across three phases. Baseline groups criteria assessing the ecological quality of the site before intervention - vegetation layers, observed fauna, wetlands, ecological corridors, heritage value. Design groups criteria on siting choices, materials, green spaces, dark corridors, co-design with the ecologist. Delivery verifies consistency between design and as-built. Operations, multi-year monitoring, is on the roadmap.
How does BPS differ from other biodiversity schemes?
BPS was designed to address three recurring limitations of current biodiversity schemes: the rigidity of closed grids, the difficulty of producing defensible ESG reporting, and the primarily marketing-driven (rather than analytical) nature of most approaches. BPS positions itself as a quantified evaluation tool, verifiable line by line, suitable for CSRD, SFDR and EU Taxonomy reporting. The BPS framework is owned by NORMATYS and the tool is operated by IRICE, a third-party evaluation body; NORMATYS and IRICE belong to two separate companies within the NORMAXIS group. The framework is approved by the Biodiversity Standard Council (BSC), a NORMATYS body, separate from the operator of the tool.
Who carries out BPS assessments?
BPS assessments are carried out by qualified Biodiversity Partners. Qualification is delivered by IRICE against a published curriculum and grants an individual qualification number, listed in a public directory. Where no local assessor is qualified yet, delivery is verified remotely - an assessor-directed video survey, geolocated and timestamped evidence - with a local third party engaged on a risk-based sample.
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