Biodiversity Net Gain

Biodiversity Net Gain is an approach to land management that aims to deliver measurable improvements for nature by creating or enhancing wildlife habitats, rivers and streams, and hedgerows, in association with a new development. Improvements to biodiversity must be ‘additional:’ this means new developments must leave nature in a better state than what was there before. 

The Wildlife Trusts have been influencing the evolution of BNG for well over a decade – from the very early thinking and piloting in 2012 around measuring and offsetting the losses of nature to development, to testing and contributing to the multiple iterations of the Defra metric and advocating for clear commitments on BNG in legislation. Locally, Wildlife Trusts have been influencing the inclusion of BNG policy in local plans and advocating for voluntary BNG for many years. More recently, many have been readying themselves as high quality habitat providers for BNG. 

The new Biodiversity Net Gain regulations came into effect in early 2024. Developers in England must deliver a minimum 10% increase in biodiversity for new developments, for at least thirty years. For Town and County Planning Developments this came into effect in February 2024, small sites from April 2024, and will come into effect for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) from late 2025. This requirement can be achieved through the development of nature on the site itself, through the development of nature at other sites, or, as a last resort, through the purchase of statutory BNG credits.  

Consultancy & land management services 

Our experts in ecology, land management, and landscape design, provide advice tailored to local conditions. Our Biodiversity Specialists conduct baseline BNG Assessments and advise upon the options available to developers to achieve their BNG target, offering pragmatic and responsive solutions to risk management and planning obligations.  

Our Consultancy and land management services are typically offered to developers either by the local Trust, or the local Wildlife Trust Consultancy in collaboration with the Trust.  

Contact us about BNG consultancy services

Off-site solutions 

It is not always possible to deliver Biodiversity Net Gain on-site. In these circumstances, Wildlife Trusts are in a unique position to provide offsite habitat compensation that aligns with local green infrastructure plans and Nature Recovery Networks. 

Our 'habitat banking' approach to Biodiversity Net Gain delivery allows for the creation of strategically located habitats that support large-scale habitat creation projects delivering a range of other co-benefits for wildlife and society. 

Habitat banking also enables the creation of habitats before any nature loss is caused by development and creates a pipeline of biodiversity credits ready for the development sector - delivering more for nature and providing a greater level of security for buyers. 

Find a habitat bank for your development

There are three ways in which BNG can be delivered:  

1. Firstly, through on-site enhancement and restoration of biodiversity (within the red line boundary of a development site).  

2. Secondly, if all of the BNG cannot be delivered on site , off-site biodiversity gains can be considered. This can either be on land owned by the developer, outside of the development site, or through buying off-site biodiversity units.  

3. Finally, if developers cannot achieve on-site or off-site  BNG, they must buy statutory biodiversity credits from the government. This should be considered a last resort. 

All three methods can be used, however they must be considered in order  

All habitats created for BNG must be managed and monitored for 30 years to achieve and demonstrate the planned uplift. When delivering BNG on-site developers must carefully consider how the BNG gains can be managed, monitored and protected (e.g. ensuring these areas will not be needed for future development) over the 30 years. When considering on-site gains it is also very important to consider how additional on-site pressures, for example from increased footfall, dog walkers and other human usage, can be balanced and accounted for within the planned uplift.  

The delivery of off-site Biodiversity Net-Gain must be secured with a comprehensive Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP) and legal agreement. The legal agreement can either be in the form of a Section 106 (S106) with the Local Planning Authority or through a Conservation Covenant with a Responsible Body. Once the HMMP and legal agreement are in place, the off-site BNG must then be registered on Natural England’s BNG register, that opened in February 2024. Once the site is registered BNG units can be sold and included within planning permissions.  

“Securing positive effects for biodiversity” is one one of six statutory outcomes for the National Planning Framework introduced by the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019. Scotland however does not yet have an agreed standard approach to measuring biodiversity gains, with Nature Scot currently developing a system that reflects Scotland’s legislative, policy, and environmental context.     

In Wales, National Planning Policy requires that every development delivers a Net Benefit for Biodiversity, leaving biodiversity and ecosystems in a better state than before. Welsh planning policy does not specify how much benefit should be delivered, or how long it should be maintained, and it is up to each local planning authority to decide what is appropriate and proportionate to the scale of the development. The Wildlife Trusts in Wales are working to develop nature positive solutions for developers in Wales.