No pain, Net Gain: Preparing for Biodiversity Net Gain

What is Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and why is it important? Amy Caldow, Senior Training Officer, provides an overview.

The most recent State of Nature report notes there has been a 13% decline in the average abundance of wildlife in the UK since the 1970’s. When compared to other G7 countries, the UK is at the very bottom in terms of how much biodiversity still survives. When compared across all countries in the European Union, only Ireland and Malta come out worse, and the UK is in the bottom 10% of all countries globally.

These kind of distressing statistics prompted the UK Government to unveil ‘the most ambitious environmental programme of any country on earth’ in their 2019 manifesto. This programme subsequently manifested itself as the Environment Act, which received royal assent in November 2021. With this Act, the Government has provided legislation which outlines clear statutory targets for the recovery of the natural world in four priority areas: air quality, biodiversity, water and waste. Within the Act there are important new target which aim to halt the decline in biodiversity and create a much more species abundant natural world in the UK by 2030. The Act has set in law new rules and supporting guidelines which can help meet those targets through the use of requirements such as Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) within the planning process.

Net gain is an approach to development that aims to leave the natural environment in a measurably better state than it was beforehand. Through BNG, the communities, planners and planning authorities will be able to ensure that any new developments are ‘nature positive’ by placing nature and biodiversity gain at the heart of decision making and design. In doing this, existing habitats can, wherever possible, be protected. But, where ‘disturbance’ does occur, then these ‘disturbances’ are compensated for with natural habitat and ecological features over and above what has been affected.

BNG amends the Town and Country Planning Act, requiring all planning permissions (with a few exceptions) to deliver at least 10% biodiversity net gain from an as yet unconfirmed date, expected to be in November 2023. By that date, councils will need to be prepared to meet the new legal requirements and, in the timeless words of Benjamin Franklin, “failing to prepare is preparing to fail’. So for those looking for a better understanding of BNG do not panic: APSE is here to help.

Preparing for Biodiversity Net Gain: A new interactive training course - Heavily discounted for APSE members!

- NOW FULLY BOOKED! -

Are you a parks professional looking to further their understanding of Biodiversity Net Gain? Then check out our new and highly interactive training course. Heavily discounted for APSE members, this course can also be offered as an in-house option. Email [email protected] for further details.

APSE Parks Seminar - Book your place now! 

Amy and Fiona Sutton-Wilson, Head of APSE Training, will be speaking on Biodiversity Net Gain preparation at APSE's upcoming Parks Seminar at Manchester City Football Club on 15 March. Tickets are selling fast so book your place here now to avoid disappointment!

For more information about the Seminar, please contact APSE Principal Advisor Wayne Priestley on [email protected]