We have developed a tabletop game about biodiversity offsetting. The game simulates the mechanics of biodiversity offsetting and the controversies surrounding its implementation as a tool for nature conservation and land-use planning.

In Kompensaatiopeli two teams of players, conservationists and developers compete against each other. The game is played on a game board, or play area, consisting of 25 nature tiles set in a 5×5 square. Developers aim to replace nature tiles with
project tokens, while conservationists aim to keep as many nature tiles on the table as possible. At the end of the game, the team with more points wins the game.

What is biodiversity offsetting?

Biodiversity offsetting means the planned process of creating or enhancing biodiversity to compensate local losses or degradation of biodiversity (Coralie ym. 2015Ten Kate ym. 2004). The range can be from one species to whole ecosystems. Also “ecological compensation” and “environmental compensation” has been used to refer to this practice.