About Biodiversity Net Gain
BNG is a concept that could dramatically change the environmental planning scene. It now obligates all developers to ensure that their projects do not diminish the environment but
actually enhance it. The “net gain” is determined using the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) biodiversity metric.
What is the DEFRA Biodiversity Metric?
The DEFRA Biodiversity Metric measures the biodiversity value of a site before and after development. It essentially breaks down the site and computes the “biodiversity units”.
Biodiversity units are determined by assessing 3 different factors:
- how distinct the habitat is;
- how good condition the habitat is in; and
- how big the area is.
Each of these is assigned a score, and then they are combined into biodiversity units. This is done as a baseline measurement before development.
After the development is complete, the same measurements are taken again to assess the site’s biodiversity after the change. The target is for the site’s “post-development BNG value” to be at least 10% higher than what it was before the change, when it was the “baseline BNG value.”
What options are available to achieve Biodiversity Net Gain?
A development must achieve a BNG of 10%. This means a development will result in either more or better-quality natural habitat than there was before development.
This measurement is vital because it offers a uniform, unbiased, and clear-cut method for assessing biodiversity. It’s a fundamental approach for planners, developers, and local governments to take the ecological measure of their site and to “plan around” its ecological potential.
In certain situations, developers may purchase statutory biodiversity units or credits, in addition to or in place of, creating or enhancing biodiversity on or near a development site. This involves making a financial contribution that goes partway toward satisfying the mandatory 10% net gain requirement. However, purchasing statutory units/credits should be considered a last resort.
What is the purpose of a BNG plan?
The practices of BNG are put in place to protect the existing habitats and to ensure that those habitats are enhanced. In addition to that, our team is looking for new habitats, and the provision of those new habitats is absolutely crucial if species are going to recover here in the UK.
BNG is a demanding process requiring detailed planning, meticulous execution, and attentive monitoring. Each step in the development process—site selection, design and construction, and long-term management—must reflect these considerations; otherwise, there is a substantial risk the BNG proposal will meet with rejection from the local planning authority.
Biodiversity Surveyors is committed to ensuring that developments like yours can achieve biodiversity net gain. Your project can become a beacon of environmental progress. When you reach out to us, our panel of surveyors will take the steps necessary to guarantee that the biodiversity gain plan we create for you meets the requirements set by your local planning authority.
Preliminary Ecological Appraisal
Desk Study: this is an examination of all available data on the region, including geology maps, wildlife records, designated places, and aerial photos.
Site Visit: in order to conduct a field survey, which entails mapping out the various habitat types on site, the biodiversity professionals will physically enter the site. Specifically, the goal will be to assess the possible effects of the proposed development and record any indications of protected species.
Species Survey: your ecologist will also conduct a targeted species survey to see if there is a discernible possibility that protected species are present. Bats, newts, and badgers are a few examples of these species.
Impact Assessment: this section of the PEA will determine the potential effects of your development on the property, including any increased noise levels.
Recommendations: your biodiversity surveyor will offer you suggestions on how to prevent, lessen, or mitigate any negative effects in order to guarantee that your development proceeds as easily and quickly as possible. These can include altering the architecture of a development or establishing new habitats for the species.
Biodiversity Impact Assessment
In this phase, your surveyor will quantify the biodiversity that exists on our site. From this, they will establish a baseline that tells you how much net gain you need to achieve to satisfy the current project parameters. To do this, your surveyor will use a tool from the UK government known as the DEFRA Statutory Biodiversity Metric. The steps are as follows:
Habitat Classification: classifying the on-site habitats using the DEFRA Metric is the first stage in the BIA process. For instance, ponds, rivers, forests, and grasslands.
Habitat Condition: every place that is cataloged will also have its condition graded. For instance, one of four grades will be assigned to vegetation, species variety, and indications of adverse pressures like pollution or invasive species. “Poor,” “moderate,” “good,” and “excellent” are the grades that are assigned.
Size and Location: each habitat’s size and physical relationship to other habitats within and surrounding the development site are used to assess and grade its area. A habitat’s worth increases with its significance and connectivity.
Calculating Biodiversity Units: the site’s overall biodiversity units are determined by adding all of these variables. This is accomplished by multiplying each habitat’s base biodiversity value by the score for condition, size, and location.
This information is then used to formulate a plan on how to take the biodiversity value and have it increase by 10% after the development is finished.
Implementation
This is the stage where the theoretical practices written down during the BNG strategy development are implemented.
Staged Work: the timetable of all the tasks that must be completed will be divided into phases by you. The advantage of this is straightforward: by breaking up the labour into manageable portions, you can make sure that the wildlife is not damaged while these particular chores are completed. For instance, heavy building could disturb birds in the spring, so it’s best to work on anything else during that time.
Implementation of Mitigation Measures: this phase involves the implementation of the BNG strategy’s measures, which were developed based on the findings of the BIA phase. This can entail putting up fences for protection or moving wildlife in a safe manner.
Habitat Creation and Enhancement: any habitats that were intended to be improved or developed at the earlier stage of habitat design and creation. For instance, planting trees and making ponds.
Monitoring of Work: throughout the phase, routine monitoring will be carried out to make sure that all mitigating measures are effective and that all work is done in compliance with the BNG Strategy.
Post-Construction Assessment
After the development has been fully finished, it’s time for experienced specialists to come back to do another survey. It will be exactly like the preliminary ecological assessment, only this time the goal is to see what changes have happened as a result of the development. Biodiversity units will be measured again and compared with the results taken during the first phase.
Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is a critical mechanism that aligns with the goals of the UK’s 25-Year Environment Plan by promoting the enhancement of natural habitats and ecosystems in conjunction with development projects.
The core of BNG is ensuring that any development not only does no harm to biodiversity but actually benefits it. This is especially important where we are taking forward developments that are going to contribute to net zero, like offshore wind, or where we are transforming sites, like in the case of HS2.
Biodiversity Gain Site Register
BNG is a way that can actually help reach the tough goals of the 25-Year Environment Plan. It will help make sure that people, companies, and public authorities all improve nature when they build or change things.
If you want to know about biodiversity gain sites, you can search the Biodiversity Gain Site Register. This register is updated with information from applicants whose projects have been accepted. It tells you where the site is, its borders, what habitats are already there, what habitats will be improved or created, and any off-site biodiversity gains. You can find out which site has been chosen for a development and the habitats that will be affected.
