Species-pool effect potentials (SPEP) as a yardstick to evaluate land-use impacts on biodiversity

Using land to produce biomass or to build infrastructure has adverse impacts on ecosystem quality or, more precisely, on attributes (biodiversity, ecological functions, natural resources) of ecosystem quality. However, there is no comprehensive assessment methodology that allows the assessment of different land-use activities in life cycle impact assessment (LCIA). I have defined the safeguard subject ecosystem quality and have modelled land-use impacts on species diversity on both local and regional scales. The characterisation factor species-pool effect potential (SPEP) has been developed for weighting a wide range of land-use activities. Occupation of urban, built-up and arable land are found to negatively affect the species-pool. Mixed forests and fallow appear to have positive effects. Generic SPEP factors can be used to assess the potential effect of land-use interventions in the framework of LCIA.