Biodiversity

While the construction industry endeavors to minimize environmental impact during development and construction, it inevitably causes certain degrees of impact on biological habitats. To demonstrate its commitment to biodiversity conservation, Kedge Construction became one of the first companies to successfully match with the “Natural Carbon Sink and Biodiversity Project” under the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, breaking away from traditional corporate adoption models and taking concrete steps to practice corporate ESG goals through environmental ecological conservation, community participation, and promoting local economic development.

Kedge Construction’s headquarters and 2024 new construction projects including residential, commercial office, high-technology manufacturing, civil bridge, and public building developments are predominantly located within high-density metropolitan areas or science parks, positioned outside Taiwan’s 98 designated protected areas established for natural conservation purposes (encompassing nature reserves, wildlife protection areas, critical wildlife habitats, national parks, national natural parks, and nature protection areas). Taiwan Biodiversity Network observation records and biological group species distribution pattern analysis utilizes approximately 10-kilometer x 10-kilometer grid systems, with darker grid coloration indicating higher species density within respective grid areas. Comparative analysis of Kedge Construction ongoing project locations indicates that Provincial Highway 61 and Tongluo MediaTek projects coincide with mammalian species distribution hotspots.

In response to ecological conservation work within a 2-kilometer radius of the construction project areas, Kedge Construction follows specific project environmental impact assessment reports to formulate management plans. Kedge has an environmental protection plan for construction and implements it to minimize environmental impacts during construction and avoid affecting the surrounding natural ecology. The environmental protection measures taken before, during, and after construction for each project are summarized in the table below:

TNFD Natural Capital Implementation Project: Chiayi Magicicada Habitat Restoration and Forest Conservation Initiative

Project Background and Sustainability Vision

Kedge Construction pursues the vision of establishing a “Sustainable Urban Engineering Team” while actively embracing Task Force on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) framework principles and achieving recognition as among the first enterprises successfully participating in the Ministry of Agriculture’s Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency’s “Natural Carbon Sequestration and Biodiversity Project.” Through the 20-year Chiayi restoration initiative – “Collaborative Tree Planting to Protect Taiwan Magicicada Habitat” project, integrating ecological conservation, community engagement, and local economic advancement demonstrates substantive positive natural impact actions while aligning with TNFD’s four recommended disclosure dimensions and LEAP methodology

Project Objectives and Sustainability Outcomes

This initiative establishes specific objectives spanning habitat development, ecological education, and community prosperity:

  • Habitat Restoration: Establish approximately 2,000 Taiwan Firmiana plantings per hectare to create optimal magicicada habitat environments.
  •  Conservation Objectives: Restore Taiwan endemic magicicada populations while protecting breeding and foraging ecological networks.
  • Monitoring and Assessment: Conduct comprehensive on-site ecological surveys and monitoring ensuring overall ecological environment stability throughout implementation phases.
  • Carbon Sequestration Benefits: Projected annual CO2e absorption of approximately 9.4 tons, effectively strengthening climate resilience capacity.
  • Community Integration: Collaborate with Caoshan and Xinmei community groups advancing guided tours, ecological education programs, and volunteer engagement initiatives.
  • Forest Understory Economy Development: Revitalize sustainable products including logcultivated shiitake mushrooms, forest bee products, and Taiwan mountain tea, generating local economic opportunities.

SDG and Global Framework Alignment

This initiative simultaneously advances the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

SDG 15 (Life on Land), 13 (Climate Action), 08 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), 04 (Quality Education), 02 (Zero Hunger), 03 (Good Health and Well-being), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities)

While supporting Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) core objectives regarding “habitat restoration,” “community participation,” and “private sector engagement expansion.”

Future Outlook

Through this initiative, Kedge Construction implements concrete nature-positive impact, sustainable co-benefit, and natural capital management practices while establishing a representative case study for preliminary TNFD framework application. Future development will maintain strengthened information disclosure, establish project monitoring mechanisms, and evaluate independent TNFD report publication feasibility.

Alignment with TNFD Four Disclosure Dimensions

Term Introduction- Forest Understory Economy Product Overview

The Ministry of Agriculture’s Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency designated forest understory economy products including log-cultivated shiitake and wood ear mushrooms, forest bee products, Taiwan Anoectochilus, Taiwan mountain tea, indigo plants, Ficus erecta, bamboo pith fungus, jiaogulan, Taiwan white tea, and Taiwan mountain tea Zhuluo cultivar.