The International Biathlon Union (IBU) has taken the next step in its biodiversity work by testing a new biodiversity assessment tool at the IBU Junior Cup event in Martell, Italy, in December. The tool has been developed as part of the Erasmus+ funded BENCHES project, where the IBU is one of the sports partners. On November 7th, the IBU came together with the OC Martell to test and discuss the tool.

BENCHES: Including biodiversity in sport

BENCHES is a three-year Erasmus+ project that brings together major international and national sport organisations, including World Athletics, World Sailing, the International Biathlon Union, the Italian Canoe Kayak Federation, and S.L. Benfica, to better understand how sport both depends on and impacts nature.

A practical biodiversity assessment tool for biathlon events

A key deliverable of the BENCHES project is the development of a biodiversity assessment tool that can be used by Organizing Committees, National Federations, or sports clubs at the grassroots level. The tool is intended to help map interactions with the local ecosystem and identify certain biodiversity pressures, such as land use, pollution, or overexploitation.

Real-life test in Martell

To see how the tool works in practice, the IBU Sustainability department has partnered with the Organizing Committee Martell, Italy, who will host the IBU Junior Cup in December, where the tool was put to the test and discussed thoroughly. Since the venue is located in a national park, biodiversity already plays a key role for the OC. The test included a walk-through of the essential areas of the venue and its surroundings to understand their position in the park as well. The test showed that OC Martell is already a good place in terms of good practices, but also identified gaps and highlighted areas where room for improvement lies.