Biodiversity Management
Goals
Designation of green space
Project development areas are not located in conservation areas or environmental protection zones.
Performance Highlights
Our Commitment
AP Thailand places great importance on biodiversity conservation and restoration alongside sustainable real estate development. The company recognizes that balanced ecosystems, diverse flora and fauna, and urban green spaces are crucial factors for the quality of life of residents and surrounding communities. Therefore, the company is committed to implementing measures that help reduce impacts on ecosystems and promote the restoration of natural areas.
By integrating biodiversity conservation approaches into the project development process from the outset, AP Thailand adheres to biodiversity policies that are aligned with applicable laws and international standards to create a balance between project development and environmental conservation. The company implements best practices, such as designing projects to align with the area’s existing ecosystems, maintaining and increasing green spaces within real estate projects, and restoring habitats for local flora and fauna. The company focuses on ensuring that every real estate project becomes a space conducive to human habitation and other living beings, while minimizing environmental impacts as much as possible.
Supporting the SDGs Goals
Stakeholders Directly Impacted
Challenges and Opportunities
Urban real estate development faces challenges in maintaining biodiversity due to declining green spaces, ecosystem destruction, and intensifying Urban Heat Island Effects. Meanwhile, increasingly stringent environmental regulations require the real estate sector to adapt to sustainability standards. However, the trends toward Green Cities and Ecological Economy also create opportunities for real estate companies to differentiate themselves through developing projects with green spaces, native plants, and designs that promote urban ecosystems. In addition, consumers and investors are showing greater interest in environmentally friendly projects.
This presents an opportunity for AP Thailand to systematically integrate biodiversity management into the company’s operation, not only to reduce negative impacts but also to enhance organizational adaptive capacity, build resilience, and create shared value for all stakeholders in the long term. Biodiversity management is therefore not merely an environmental responsibility, but a key strategy for truly driving business toward sustainability.
Management Approach and Value Creation
AP Thailand recognizes the importance of biodiversity as the foundation of balanced and sustainable ecosystems. Real estate development in urban areas may cause land use changes. Therefore, the company is committed to implementing projects that consider biodiversity by reducing negative impacts and enhancing urban ecosystems through environmentally friendly approaches.
AP Thailand has adopted Nature-based Solutions in project development by increasing green spaces and designing projects to support local ecosystems, enabling residents to coexist with nature sustainably. Additionally, the company conducts biodiversity impact surveys and risks assessments before and after project development to prevent impacts on conservation areas and surrounding ecosystems.
AP manages biodiversity impacts in accordance with the Mitigation Hierarchy, which prioritizes:
- Avoid impacts through responsible site selection and project planning.
- Minimize impacts during construction and operations.
- Restore/Regenerate affected habitats and ecosystems.
- Offset/Compensate significant residual impacts where appropriate.
The Company also engages employees, customers, communities, and other stakeholders to promote biodiversity awareness and collaborative conservation efforts. Biodiversity performance and progress are regularly monitored and disclosed to stakeholders.
Careful Selection of Project Development Areas
AP Thailand is committed to operating business while maintaining ecological balance and biodiversity by placing utmost care on selecting areas for project development that do not impact the environment and surrounding communities. The company has clear guidelines for avoiding ecologically sensitive areas such as conservation zones, mangrove areas, or important water sources, and operates only in areas that are legally permitted.
In 2025, AP Thailand conducted thorough assessments of project area suitability by evaluating physical, environmental, and relevant regulatory data in detail. This was done in tandem with prioritizing community context and natural resources in the area, such as soil conditions, water systems, and surrounding land use, to prevent long-term environmental risks.
Additionally, the company promotes project designs that align with nature by requiring at least 5% of the total project area to be green space in all projects to support urban biodiversity and provide areas conducive to the growth of local plants and small wildlife.
Biodiversity Risk and Opportunity Assessment
The Company recognizes the importance of biodiversity risk management and has continuously developed and reviewed related policies, frameworks, tools, and processes to accommodate potential impacts on business operations and appropriately adapt to changing circumstances. All new projects that are required to undergo an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are assessed prior to construction to identify environmental and biodiversity-related risks and establish appropriate mitigation and monitoring measures. Based on the results of these assessments, no significant biodiversity-related risks have been identified within or adjacent to the project areas. For more information on EIA reports, please visit the Smart EIA Plus website operated by the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP). Additionally, real estate development business operations may cause impacts on biodiversity, such as the reduction of green spaces or changes in land use that affect urban ecosystems. To mitigate such impacts, the company has initiated environmental projects, such as the "Habitat Network Project" and biodiversity assessments in the Life Sathorn Sierra project and Centro Bangna project, These efforts aim to promote coexistence between people and nature and restore various species to urban communities, while continuously monitoring and evaluating implementation outcomes to support long-term biodiversity conservation and restoration.
For more details on the Biodiversity Action Plan, visit Biodiversity Action Plan
| Aspects | Issues | Descriptions |
|---|---|---|
| Risks | Natural Resource Dependency | Risks from both direct utilization, such as green spaces within projects, and indirect utilization, such as value chains linked to ecosystems. |
| Ecosystem Degradation | Impacts from natural habitat loss and land use changes affecting urban ecosystems. | |
| Risk Across Various Timeframes | - Short-term: Design green spaces to respond to current environmental conditions. - Medium-term: Establish biodiversity monitoring systems (3–5 years). - Long-term: Prepare for climate change impacts (5–10 years). |
|
| Organizational Sustainability Risk | Improper biodiversity management may compromise organizational security from an ecosystem perspective | |
| Opportunities | Ecological Development | Design urban areas to be ecosystem-friendly and support coexistence with nature. |
| Well-being Promotion | Quality green spaces enhance the physical and mental health of residents. | |
| Adaptive Capacity Enhancement | Utilize biodiversity to enhance resilience to climate change. | |
| Long-term Value Creation | Create economic, social, and environmental value through various projects, such as “Habitat Network” and Biodiversity Action Plan. | |
| Organizational Approach Development | Formulate a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) to serve as a mechanism for risk reduction and sustainable growth promotion. |
*Project area means all new and exisiting projects/sites including those under critical sites
These approaches are aligned with the policy framework of the Office of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy and Planning (ONEP) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
Based on past operations, the company recognizes that biodiversity is a crucial foundation for ecosystem security in terms of both resistance and resilience to environmental changes and potential future disasters. Therefore, the company has proceeded to develop a Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) appropriate to the organizational context to serve as a mechanism for reducing risks, enhancing adaptive capacity, and promoting sustainable business operations in the long term.
AP Thailand uses Environmental Due Diligence processes and data from government agencies or sensitive area maps as tools to assess risks before deciding to develop projects in any particular area. This helps reduce risks in terms of legal compliance, community conflicts, and long-term sustainability.
At the same time, AP Thailand sees opportunities from biodiversity conservation and restoration, particularly in the context of nature-friendly urban design. The company has adopted Urban Biodiversity concepts through the following approaches:
- Selection of native plant species and conservation of existing trees under the Tree Re-Use concept to help maintain ecological balance
- Designing green spaces in projects to be no less than 5%
- Supporting natural carbon sinks to mitigate Urban Heat Island effects
- Increasing animal habitats through green space design
Biodiversity in Actions
Beyond regular biodiversity risk assessments and monitoring, AP actively promotes biodiversity conservation, ecological connectivity, and nature-positive living through collaboration with academic institutions, business partners, residents, and communities.
Sustainable Urban Ecosystem Plant Selection Guidelines
In 2024-2025, AP collaborated with Mahidol University and landscape partners to develop a “Green Space Management and Sustainable Urban Ecosystem Plant Selection Guideline”. Developed through a series of workshops, the guideline is based on five principles: Accessibility, Functionality, Aesthetic Appeal, Sustainability, and Biodiversity. It serves as a key tool for the design of new green spaces, enhancement of existing projects, development of urban green corridors and common spaces, and implementation of Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs) in higher-risk project areas. To enhance biodiversity within project landscapes, the guideline promotes a diverse mix of native trees, shrubs, and groundcovers through the 10-20-30 Rule (≤10% of the same species, ≤20% of the same genus, ≤30% of the same family). The guideline also supports AP's target of increasing biodiversity-supporting green space coverage to at least 5% per site by 2029 across all new and existing developments, including areas identified as critical sites through biodiversity risk assessments.
“Habitat Network” Project (Urban Forest Patch)
Building upon the guideline, AP developed the “Habitat Network” (Urban Forest Patch) initiative to transform conventional green areas into multifunctional ecological spaces that support biodiversity, climate resilience, and residents' well-being. By incorporating diverse layers of native vegetation, these spaces provide habitats and food sources for urban wildlife while serving as functional and accessible community areas for recreation, learning, and everyday use. The initiative also enhances ecological connectivity within urban environments and contributes to climate adaptation through increased shading and cooling effects.
Ongoing biodiversity monitoring of 6 project sites (i.e. The City Bangna3 Pleno Sukhumvit Bangna4) shows positive outcomes, with project sites supporting more than 40 bird species and 16 insect species and providing an estimated 100 tCO₂e of carbon storage per project. These results demonstrate the potential of well-designed residential green spaces to enhance biodiversity, strengthen ecosystem services, and create tangible environmental and social values.
AP Neighbor Club: Nature Learning Experience for Living
Through the AP Neighbor Club, AP connects residents and families with nature within its developments. During 2024-2025, more than 1,000 residents participated in activities such as bird and butterfly observation, tree exploration, and nature-inspired creative workshops. The program encourages environmental awareness, fosters appreciation of urban biodiversity, and helps cultivate a Green Living mindset from an early age.
Biodiversity Research Partnership Program
In 2025, AP launched its first Biodiversity Research Partnership Program in collaboration with Mahidol University, providing research opportunities for students to study biodiversity and ecosystem services within residential developments. One research project title, “Carbon Storage Potential of Residential Green Spaces: A Study of Centro Housing Projects in Bangkok,” was selected for presentation at the International Conference on Biodiversity 2025 (IBD 2025). Research findings have been applied to strengthen AP's plant selection guidelines and support the Company's greenhouse gas reduction and carbon sequestration strategies, demonstrating how collaboration between academia and the private sector can create lasting environmental and social value.
