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Iberdrola has presented its global Biodiversity Report 2024 with data and projects carried out in each country. This report includes over 1,800 actiones carried out in the detailing more than 1,800 actions carried out in the last 2 years - with a total of over 4,000 in the last 5 years.

In the foreword to the report, the Executive Chairman of Iberdrola, Ignacio Galán, refers to three of the pillars on which the Iberdrola Group's commitment rests: the climate action plan, the diversity plan and the circular economy plan.

In addition to the objective of being CO₂ neutral in all of the Company's power plants by 2030, there is algo the goal of having a net positive impact on biodiversity by 2030.

Biodiversity is essential for the balance of ecosystems. Therefore, proactively promoting it helps us to ensure environmental stability, resources and the quality of life of future generations.

Iberdrola publishes this Biodiversity Report to inform its stakeholders of the Group's actions in the area of biodiversity. In accordance with the commitments made in the Biodiversity Policy approved by the Board of Directors in financial year 2007, as last amended in December 2023.

The launch of the Biodiversity Plan in 2022 set a positive Net Positive Impact (NPI) target and has driven numerous actions such as the launch of Carbon2Nature, Iberdrola's participation in the United Nations Biodiversity Conferences, and a 30% increase in the number of actions carried out.

In this way, the Company is a pioneer in implementing group-wide metrics to measure the net balance of our activities and a pioneer in implementing recommendatios for disseminating the management of nature and biodiversity-related risks.

According to the World Economic Forum's Global Risks Report 2024, biodiversity loss is one of the three most serious risks facing the planet over the next decade, along with extreme weather events, critical changes in earth systems and natural resource scarcity.

This could lead to a decline in global GDP of $2.7 trillion per year by 2030. This economic downturn would have a devastating effect on poverty, security, social welfare and equality.

Effective management of biodiversity-related risks by companies is an increasingly important task, not only because of the impact they can have on business management, but also because they can benefit from a competitive advantage in access to markets, capital and resources. Iberdrola Group is at the forefront of companies in terms of transparency in the reporting of its risks, impacts and actions to improve nature.

Protecting biodiversity and its ecosystems around the world

Spain

In Spain, the company participates in projects of interest such as LIFE KANTAURIBAI - a European project whose general objective is to improve the state of conservation of species and habitats linked to the river ecosystem. The project operates in 15 Red Natura 2000 sites crossed by rivers and tributaries that flow into the Bay of Biscay in 5 river basins shared by 3 regions (Navarre, Gipuzkoa and Aquitaine).

At the beginning of 2024, Iberdrola acquired a poplar grove in Huesca that houses what is considered to be the largest stable roost site of the red kite in Spain, for its preservation. The area was at imminent risk of disappearing due to the felling of poplars for timber.

This poplar grove immediately ensured the conservation of over 1,000 specimens of this endangered bird of prey, also known as raptor. The red kite is now assured a place in the wintering areas for its long-term survival.

Iberdrola España, together with EMAT (Environmental and Territorial Studies), began a field study in September 2022, lasting almost a year, on the presence of the Cabrera vole at the Ceclavín photovoltaic plant. This study's purpose was to characterise the vole's potential habitat area, its proper restorartion and the colonisation of the populations of this species in these habitat patches. 

The work was completed at the end of June with a very positive result. It reveals that the areas with presence of the species have increased notably, going from 4 and 7 located in the previous studies to 17 (out of a total of 19 areas that were marked as potential habitat as they fit the characteristics required by the species).

In Spain, thanks to the development of forest ecosystem restoration, more than 770,000 trees have been planted through Carbon2Nature and over 100,000 through Fundación Iberdrola España.

Scottish Power

ScottishPower is committed to restoring and enhancing nearly 9,225 hectares of degraded general peatland habitats. To this end, a variety of methods are used to contribute to habitat restoration, including grazing management, ditch-blocking and ground smoothing. The Company developed the groud-smootinhing method that reverses the damage caused by commercial plantations historically planted in peatland habitats, by using low pressure excavators on the ground to create a flattened surface, helping the water table to recover and enabling growth of typical peatland plants such as Sphagnum mosses.

In 2023, a major restoration programme was completed at the Black Law Extension and Beinn an Tuirc II wind farms in Scotland, including the restoration of 131 hectares of peatland.

ScottishPower Renewables is also participating in the Wellcome Sanger Institute's innovative Bioscan project. This project seeks to analyse the DNA of insects to identify the species present at the Whitelee wind farm and monitor how the diversity and abundance of species is changing. This project contributes to biomonitoring in the UK and provides information of great relevance to ecosystem restoration methods.

Neoenergía

Neoenergía, Iberdrola's subsidiary in Brazil, has developed a programme for the recovery of the Lear's macaw, a species endemic to the Caatinga that is endangered, which is producing good results.

The company is also collaborating in the Coralizar Project on the study of climate change effects on coral reefs that are increasingly affected by rising seawater temperatures.

In Brazil, in recent years, actions have been carried out in the Permanent Preservation Areas for conservation and regeneration on over 8,975 hectares and for monitoring and conservation on over 18,400 hectares. In total, more than one million specimens have been planted.

Avangrid

In the United States, Avangrid has used ECOncrete ecologically engineered articulated concrete block mattresses at the Vineyard Wind 1 offshore wind farm in Massachusetts to protect underwater cables and create environmental conditions that encourage the growth of marine flora and fauna. These marine mattresses include a bio-enhanced mix, surface and design - based on nature - optimised to create habitats for a wide range of marine organisms, increasing species richness, reducing the dominance of invasive species and increasing biodiversity. Also at this park, a $3 million fund has been established to develop and demonstrate innovative methods and technologies to improve marine mammal protection and support regional monitoring efforts as the Massachusetts and US offshore wind industry grows. This fund provides opportunities to explore new methods and technologies in the project or to establish infrastructure, facilities or programmes that enhance regional marine mammal monitoring or serve as documentation for marine mammal research.

Furthermore, Avangrid collaborates with 19 wildlife recovery organisations, such as the Oregon Zoo Foundation for the recovery of California Condor populations and the collaboration with Mammals of Maine for the recovery of marine mammals. It should also be noted that the Condor conservation project includes technological monitoring through radio-frequency transmitters and geofences to establish when wind turbines should be stopped to avoid collisions.

Iberdrola México

In 2023 Iberdrola Mexico conducted a study at the La Ventosa wind farm (Oaxaca), located on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. This area is a migratory passage for many species, as it is estimated to be home to nearly 350 species of birds, including resident and migratory birds. The main objectives of the study were to determine the diversity, distribution and abundance of birds and bats, and to identify their nesting and foraging areas. During the study, 114 species of birds and 6 species of bats were identified. In this way the information is used to take optimal measures to minimise impacts on these populations.

Furthermore, support continued to be given to the feline conservation project in the Altamira region to create a biological corridor of Potosino-Tamaulipeco felines, which allowed for better observation of the population dynamics of these species in their habitat. In particular, in the last two years, we have been carrying out reconnaissance of feline distribution ranges within the industrial port.

Portugal

In the Argeluz II photovoltaic plant (Setúbal), several conservation actions have been developed during the construction of the photovoltaic plant. For instance, the tree cover has been preserved, reducing the areas of intervention to the minimum for implementing of the plant, avoiding the elimination of natural vegetation in areas not necessary for the construction, and protecting the tree patches of protected species.

The reuse of plant biomass and other waste resulting from reforestation has been favoured, and when it has not been possible to reuse them, they have been removed and sent appropriately to the final destination.

Deforestation operations have been carried out by raking, mixing the cut weeds into the topsoil. This layer of soil is to be stored in snappers and is suitable for later covering the recovery areas of cable trenches, or other used areas in need of recovery, as it contains a volume of seeds that will contribute to the natural regeneration of the used areas.

Once the construction works have been completed, soil remediation works have been carried out in the areas affected by the construction activities, in order to create favourable conditions for the regeneration of the pre-existing herbaceous and shrubby vegetation cover.

Australia

In 2023, Iberdrola Australia developed a programme to reintroduce the Glossy black cockatoo and the gang-gang cockatoo to an area northeast of Canberra, near Bungendore, in the vicinity of the Capital and Woodlawn wind farms. It is estimated that nearly 40% of the species' distribution area perished in the 2019-2020 bushfires.

In 2022, Iberdrola Australia and representatives from eco-innovation group Habitech used the results of a field survey conducted during 2020 to design improvements to an area of land in the arboretum to improve its attractiveness to target species. Nest boxes were installed for brown nuthatches, sheath-tailed bats and wedge-tailed eagles. A feeding area was also created for the grey-crowned chatterbox.