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To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01380.x Byline: K. J. HENNENBERG (*[dagger][dagger]), C. DRAGISIC ([dagger]), S. HAYE ([double dagger]), J. HEWSON ([dagger]), B. SEMROC ([dagger]), C. SAVY ([dagger]), K. WIEGMANN (*), H. FEHRENBACH (s.), U. R. FRITSCHE (*) Keywords: biofuel; certification; cultivation practice; degraded land; European Renewable Energy Source Directive; residues; risk mitigation; wastes Abstract: Abstract: The sustainable production of bioenergy is vital to avoiding negative impacts on environmental goods such as climate, soil, water, and especially biodiversity. We propose three key issues that should be addressed in any biodiversity risk-mitigation strategy: conservation of areas of significant biodiversity value; mitigation of negative effects related to indirect land-use change; and promotion of agricultural practices with few negative impacts on biodiversity. Focusing on biodiversity concerns, we compared principles and criteria set to address biodiversity and other environmental and social issues in seven standards (defined here as commodity-based standards or roundtables, or relevant European legislation): five voluntary initiatives related to bioenergy feedstocks, the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (United Kingdom), and the European Renewable Energy Source Directive. Conservation of areas of significant biodiversity value was fairly well covered by these standards. Nevertheless, mitigation of negative impacts related to indirect land-use change was underrepresented. Although the EU directive, with its bonus system for the use of degraded land and a subquota system for noncrop biofuels, offered the most robust standards to mitigate potential negative effects, all of the standards fell short in promoting agricultural practices with low negative impacts on biodiversity. We strongly recommend that each standard be benchmarked against related standards, as we have done here, and that efforts should be made to strengthen the elements that are weak or missing. This would be a significant step toward achieving a bioenergy industry that safeguards Earth's living heritage. Abstract (Spanish): El Poder de las Normas para la Proteccion de la Naturaleza Relacionadas con la Bioenergia Resumen: La produccion sustentable de bioenergia es vital para evitar impactos negativos sobre bienes ambientales como clima, suelo, agua y, especialmente, biodiversidad.Proponemos tres temas clave que deben atenderse en cualquier estrategia de mitigacion de riesgos a la biodiversidad: conservacion de areas de valor significativo para la biodiversidad; mitigacion de efectos negativos relacionados con el cambio indirecto de uso de suelo; y promocion de practicas agricolas con pocos impactos negativos sobre la biodiversidad. Enfocando preocupaciones sobre biodiversidad, comparamos principios y criterios definidos para atender asuntos de biodiversidad y otros temas ambientales y sociales en siete normas (definidas aqui como normas basadas en comodidades o mesas redondas, o legislacion europea relevante): cinco iniciativas voluntarias relacionadas con existencias de bioenergia, el Compromiso de Combustible Renovable para Transporte (Reino Unido), y la Directiva Europea de Fuentes de Energia Renovable. La conservacion de areas de valor significativo para la biodiversidad fue relativamente bien cubierta por estas normas. Sin embargo, la mitigacion de impactos negativos relacionados con el cambio indirecto de uso de suelo estuvo insuficientemente representada. Aunque la directiva de EU, con su sistema de bonos para el uso de suelos degradados y un sistema de sub-cuotas para biocombustibles no agricolas, ofrecio las normas mas robustas para mitigar los potenciales efectos negativos sobre la biodiversidad. Recomendamos enfaticamente que cada norma sea comparada con normas relacionadas, como hemos hecho aqui, y que se hagan esfuerzos para reforzar los elementos que estan debiles o faltantes. Estos seria un paso significativo hacia el logro de un industria bioenergetica que salvaguarde el patrimonio vivo de la Tierra. Author Affiliation: (*)Oeko-Institut, Energy and Climate Division, Rheinstr. 95, 64295 Darmstadt, Germany ([dagger])Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Drive, Suite 500, Arlington, VA 22202, U.S.A. ([double dagger])Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Energy Center, BAC 004 Station 5, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland (s.)Institute for Energy and Environmental Research Heidelberg GmbH (IFEU), Wilckensstr. 3, Heidelberg, 6912, Germany Article History: Paper submitted January 6, 2009; revised manuscript accepted July 9, 2009. Article note: ([dagger][dagger]) email k.hennenberg@oeko.de

Abstract: Reliable density estimations of plant populations and their statistical comparison are fundamental in many Ecological studies. Typical sampling methods are plotless density estimators (PDE) and plot counts. A simulation [...]