Total surface area of marine or coastal habitat lost, including both direct destruction and unrestored degradation, as a result of the financed activity, such as coastal infrastructure development, dredging, seabed mining, aquaculture, or other marine and coastal land use changes.
Loss of Marine Habitat (PI3227)
- Reporting Format Unit Referenced within Metric Definition
- Metric Type Metric
- Metric Level Product/Service, Organization
- IRIS Metric Citation IRIS, 2025. Loss of Marine Habitat (PI3227). v5.3b.
Footnote
Organizations should footnote all assumptions used.
Usage Guidance
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This metric is intended to describe the extent of marine and coastal habitat loss resulting from financed activities during the reporting period.
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It captures the total surface area (in hectares) of marine ecosystems such as coral reefs, seagrass meadows, mangroves, saltmarshes, and other marine or intertidal habitats that have been negatively impacted, degraded, or permanently destroyed as a consequence of the financed activity. This includes both direct loss (e.g., from dredging, coastal construction, or seabed mining) and unrestored damage, meaning areas that remain ecologically impaired and have not been rehabilitated or restored.
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Losses should be reported even if restoration or mitigation efforts are planned but not yet implemented, and should include any areas that have been rendered ecologically unsuitable for the original habitat function or species use.
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Unit of measurement: Hectares.
Impact Categories & Themes
SDG Goals & Targets
Climate Action
- SDG Target 13.1
Life Below Water
- SDG Target 14.2
Life on Land
- SDG Target 15.5
Metric History
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June 2025 - IRIS+ v5.3b Released (current version)
New metric. Loss of Marine Habitat (PI3227) was developed via the IRIS+ Marine Resources Conservation and Management Expert Subgroup.