This NERC-funded studentship aims to improve environmental safeguards designed to protect biodiversity, balancing the needs of sustainable development and the efficient financing of industrial projects. The student will be based at the Silwood Park campus of Imperial College London and The Biodiversity Consultancy in Cambridge. Environmental safeguard frameworks developed by multilateral finance institutions are increasingly applied to industrial-scale development projects involving many corporations and banks in the UK and abroad. However, these frameworks have been criticised because they can lead to substantial biodiversity loss, as well as delays and extra costs for businesses. The main target of this project is to improve the rigour and consistency of industry standards, and the effi