Biodiversity Net Gain 2023 Virtual Symposium

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is an approach to development that aims to leave nature in a measurably better state than before. This is achieved through embedding the mitigation hierarchy into development design through the use of a biodiversity metric, highlighting impacts on, and opportunities for nature.

“Under the Environment Act 2021, all planning permissions granted in England (with a few exemptions) will have to deliver at least 10% biodiversity net gain from an as yet unconfirmed date, expected to be in November 2023. BNG will be measured using Defra’s biodiversity metric and habitats will need to be secured for at least 30 years.

This sits alongside:
– a strengthened legal duty for public bodies to conserve and enhance biodiversity,
– new biodiversity reporting requirements for local authorities,
– mandatory spatial strategies for nature: Local Nature Recovery Strategies or ‘LNRS’.”
The Planning Advisory Service

Biodiversity Net Gain 2023 Virtual Symposium

The live virtual event occurred on Wed 29 March 2023 and was aimed at professionals that will be working with BNG (such as planners, ecologists and conservationists), bringing together professionals from a range of sectors to discuss their experience and lessons learned from working with BNG.

The event was hosted by Dan Carpenter (Digital Ecology) and featured 4 speakers:

Biodiversity Net Gain – A Policy and Metric Update

Dr Nick White, Natural England

The presentation will update the audience on the forthcoming mandatory approach to biodiversity net gain, encompassing the latest Government policy announcements and what these mean for ecologists, developers, planners and land owners. It will also provide an update about the biodiversity metric that will be used for mandatory biodiversity net gain.

Read the full blog with Q&A and links here

Delivering Biodiversity Net Gain for Infrastructure Projects

Dr Julia Baker CEnv MCIEEM, Mott MacDonald

To design Biodiversity Net Gain, Ecologists must balance the unit calculation of the Biodiversity Metric with the Metric’s trading rules, whilst ensuring the habitat creation and enhancement of a BNG design are feasible, will endure for at least 30 years and contribute towards conservation. This presentation explores this balance, with key considerations and pitfalls to avoid for BNG to genuinely deliver long-term and meaningful outcomes on the ground.

Read the full blog with Q&A and links here

Biodiversity Net Gain: The Wiltshire Council Perspective

Rachel Jones, Wiltshire Council

Wiltshire Council have been moving from securing no net loss to net gain and offering solutions to developers to help deliver nature recovery across Wiltshire. Rachel Jones will discuss Wiltshire Council’s approach to Biodiversity Net Gain and how they have been offering solutions to developers to help deliver nature recovery across Wiltshire. These solutions include opportunities on our own land holding, working with wider landowners and farmers for strategic sites, and securing on-site enhancements on development sites. Wiltshire Council are also looking at how to combine solutions with wider community and environmental benefits and how to address the expected resourcing implications for the Council.

Read the full blog with Q&A and links here

The Wildlife Trusts Habitat Banking Investment

Martin Varley, Cheshire Wildlife Trust

The Wildlife Trusts Habitat Banking Investment project aims to create new financing structures to meet near-term demand for BNG credits and prepare to accelerate delivery when national policy is implemented. Their partnership has developed a new model to enable Trusts to leverage private finance and secure biodiversity unit agreements with developers to secure strategic land and create new habitats, reducing current reliance on piecemeal grant funding and offset payments.