What is Biodiversity Net Gain?

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Countless planning organisations, property developers, utility providers, and other companies have used biodiversity net gain for years to show how developments accomplish positive biodiversity results. 

That said, it’ll soon become a paramount aspect of planning agreement because of the legislation changes outlined in the revised Environment Bill. And now, the new bill includes an obligatory biodiversity net gain of 10 per cent for the majority of recent developments.

The Meaning of Biodiversity Net Gain

Essentially, biodiversity net gain is when the state of an area’s biodiversity is enhanced after land development projects have been completed. The surveyors of any development will make sure the plot of land is well-preserved as much as is feasible. That said, sometimes there’s no choice other than to move animals that live in the area and relocate or abolish plant life and trees that may hinder the development.

To combat the potentially hazardous effect of a development, mandatory biodiversity net gain replaces elements in the area that were eliminated because of the development and increases the total state of biodiversity by 10 per cent.

What’s Involved with a Biodiversity Net Gain Assessment?

This type of assessment evaluates baseline circumstances to plans following the development. If the strategies following the development enhance the site’s habitat, this means biodiversity net gain has been achieved.

Working out the biodiversity net gain or deficit involves the below steps:

• To gather habitat information before a development is built, a field survey’s carried out.
• The landscaping proposals are used to determine the data after the development’s taken place.
• A biodiversity metric is used to translate the habitat data before and after development to ‘biodiversity units’.
• To figure out the biodiversity net gain or deficit, you need to work out the differentiation between the habitat data before and after the development.

The Importance of Biodiversity

There are loads of reasons why biodiversity is critical. And it shouldn’t just concern the UK, it should concern countries across the globe. Biodiversity offers the below benefits:

• Supplies water and oxygen to our environment
• Improves the discernible appearance of the earth
• Allows the creation of raw materials
• Provides farmers and others in the agricultural sector with jobs
• Facilitates recreational pursuits, like camping, hiking, walking, birdwatching, and fishing
• Enables a scientific perception of our natural world

Contact Us

Lockhart Garratt has a wealth of expertise in undertaking biodiversity net gain calculations and experience with various metrics. Our friendly team is knowledgeable about biodiversity net gain assessments – they’ll have more than enough know-how to find practical solutions. Speak to them at info@lgluk.com now.