Critical Habitat Assessment for Aquatic Habitats Using International Finance Corporations Performance Standard 6

The International Finance Corporation’s Performance Standards have become globally recognized as a benchmark for identifying and managing environmental and social risk. We developed an approach for identifying and spatially delineating critical habitat for aquatic species following the five criteria outlined in Performance Standard 6: Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Natural Resource Management. This presentation outlines the approach, using project specific examples, with an emphasis on identifying critical habitat for species new to science, and for species and habitats where little information is known. We also discuss the benefits for identifying critical habitat spatially during the planning stages early in the project life.