Biodiversity screening compares a project footprint with protected and conserved areas, biodiversity-priority sites and relevant habitat evidence. Its output is a set of spatial relationships and questions, not a finding that impacts are acceptable.
Keep evidence types separate
Protected-area designation, KBA criteria, habitat mapping and species observations carry different meanings. Record their source, release, geometry and scale. A land-cover class can suggest habitat for review; it does not establish habitat condition or species presence.
Perform the overlay
- Define the footprint and the ecological context needed for the activity.
- Reproject comparable geometries and check boundary validity.
- Report intersections and proximity with feature IDs, units and method.
- Examine the source record, designation and criteria behind each match.
- List data gaps and observations requiring specialist or field review.
Use the provider's actual geometry, not a service extent. Record why a buffer was chosen. Hydrological or ecological connections may extend beyond a simple distance buffer.
Temane layer example
The map combines the attached screening layers to illustrate their order and separate symbols. Counts describe the sample files. They do not establish current protection, habitat quality or a complete biodiversity baseline.
References and related work
Protected-area and KBA sources · Receptor classification · Temane project