Exploring ecosystem valuation to move towards net positive impact on biodiversity in the mining sector

This study examines the costs of conservation and the value of benefits associated with biodiversity around the QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM) project area, with a focus on the Tsitongambarika (TGK) forest complex. The aim is to quantify and value changes in ecosystem services resulting from interventions that deviate from 'business as usual' in TGK, i.e. projected continued deforestation and ecosystem degradation, in favour of some form of forest conservation. While the focus is on forest biodiversity, this analysis includes the economic benefits associated with carbon sequestration in biomass as well as the hydrological functions of forested watersheds.