AECOM EHS Service Summary Sheet

Forestry expertise:

• Forest inventory and mapping:
• Land Use Land Cover mapping using advanced GIS and remote sensing technologies.
• Design of Monitoring, Reporting and Verification of GHG emissions – monitor changes in forest area vs. forest area benchmark.

• Strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the forestry sector:
• Inventory of GHG emissions/absorptions in forestry
• Design of zero-deforestation supply chains, Emission Reduction Programs.
• Knowledge Transfer.

Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services expertise:

• Impact valuation of natural capital investments (including expertise in social capital valuation)
• Natural capital accounting
• Environmental valuation
• Ecosystem services assessment
• Identification of Ecosystem-based mitigation and adaptation actions
• Monitoring and Evaluation

Forestry:

• Use of advanced GIS and remote sensing techniques
• Very high resolution imagery – satellite, drone, airborne LiDAR (light detection and ranging) to interprete and/or calibrate scenes.
• Ability to combine various types of imagery in a single project according to complexity, image availability, scope of work…
• Ability to process very large amounts of data through dedicated servers and computing machines.

• Cost-effective methods to collect and process data
• “Zero-paper”: field work using light equipment (either tablets or cell phones) to collect field data, decreasing transcription time to zero.
• Use of advanced collection tools to improve geo-precision (GPS) and allow real time monitoring of field activities.
• Rent computing machine time or servers to increase processing capacities when needed.

Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services:

• Bespoke tools developed for clients to incorporate the six capitals approach into decision making (financial, manufactured, natural, human, social and intellectual).
• Awarded the National Grid Chairman’s Award for Innovation and shortlisted for the Finance for the Future Awards for innovative approaches.

• Understanding of total value of forestry investment including their role in providing key-environmental services and the opportunities linked to it
• Use of tested and validated methods, as well as standard procedures, ensuring compliance with GHG offsets mechanisms.
• Reducing the costs of forest monitoring per km2:
• Imagery costs are decreasing over time and become more and more available – some images are even free (ex: Sentinel, 10m precision). Complex projects may require a mix of free and non-free images, according to scope, budget, etc.
• Technology improves field data collection efficiency, reduce transcription time and allows real-time monitoring under certain conditions.
• Businesses are increasingly recognising the need to reflect the value of natural capital assets in their accounting systems to help support the long-term protection and sustainable use of the natural environment
• Incorporating natural capital into business accounts and decision-making processes can help companies to better recognise and manage risks to their business and promote business continuity.
• Natural capital approaches are applicable to various aspects of a company’s operations including for individual operating sites and specific supply chains.

• Quantify natural resources
• Assess commercial, natural capital and ecosystem services provided
• Value provision of services to Novartis, value chain and wider communities / local economy
• Identify how value could be enhanced and savings generated
• Develop investment decisions and confirm business case

One/two months per site.

USD$20k to $400k depending on site habitat characteristics, acreage, scope of work, location and technology deployed

• AECOM’s Forest, Natural Capital and Ecosystem Services excellence centres are based in Canada, Ecuador and UK.
• Deployment of technical experts can be global.

Dr Markus Lehni (Novartis Sustainability Coach & Adviser):
markus.lehni@novartis.com

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