Socioeconomic demand for natural resources (e.g., land, water, sunlight) is causing considerable losses of biodiversity and ecosystem functionality, most notably in regions where socioeconomic (i.e., human) systems and ecosystems compete for the finite resources. However, a poor quantitative understanding of the natural capital requirements required to support biodiversity, while at the same time satisfy socioeconomic (i.e., human) needs, undermines our capacity to secure sustainable human development. It is not yet clear what resources (area, food, water, infrastructure for nesting…) must be provided to support biodiversity alongside humans under different contexts, nor what impacts different interventions may have on terrestrial species diversity.

This thesis represents the first step what is envisaged to be a considerable body of work, contributing to ecological understanding and LCA method, and of multidisciplinary value. A set of equations for estimating the land use, energy requirements, and rates of water consumption of terrestrial animals are presented. These are the first quantitative set of ecological needs for terrestrial mammals, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates, analogous to human wellbeing needs, which represent common physiological requirements of most organisms that underpin ecosystem functionality and sustainable human development.

This work culminates in a case study of the life cycle impacts of a residential development in London, UK. The local trophic system is empirically modelled, the resource requirements of its constituent species are quantified, and the potential life cycle impacts of including green infrastructure on-site on local species diversity and species abundance are calculated. The causal relationship between land cover type and local terrestrial species diversity is also demonstrated. Applied in the urban context here, the works in this thesis are applicable to any ‘biodiversity-supporting components’: ecological (e.g., soil, water) or man-made (e.g., shelter: nest boxes) elements that can support the physiological (or social) requirements of organisms and hence ecological systems.