Biodiversity Net Gain

Cultivating A Greener Tomorrow

WHAT IS BIODIVERSITY NET GAIN?

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is the increase in species numbers, genetic variability, and variety in an area. The Biodiversity metric 4.0 looks to measure whether changes to biodiversity caused by a development project or any activities result in a negative, neutral or positive impact and subsequently aids planning for how to achieve the positive 10% Net Gain outcome. This metric measures this in ‘biodiversity units’ and determines both increases and reductions in biodiversity due to the development of the site.

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BNG Regulation

HOW DOES THE BNG REGULATION AFFECT YOUR BUSINESS?

The new Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) regulations came into effect in January 2024 and are part of the Environmental Act 2021 which promotes nature positive change in the UK. It now applies to all developments in England covered by the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, they will be required to assess the current biodiversity value of the natural habitats on-site and produce a plan to ensure that the 10% Biodiversity Net Gain requirement is met once the development or project is complete. To achieve this requirement, you will need to consider how you will contribute to the recovery of nature in the local area in the land development plans.

This regulation applies to:

LAND MANAGERS

Land managers are able to sell biodiversity units as well as combining with other land managers to increase the area you have for sale. You are unable to sell units for land that already has plans to be created or enhanced.

DEVELOPERS

Developers must try to avoid loss of habitat to a piece of land you plan to do development work on. If you are unable to avoid this, you must create a habitat either on or off-site. A final resort would be to purchase statutory credits from the government, this requires consultation from an ecologist.

LOCAL PLANNING AUTHORITIES

Local Planning Authorities will have to approve plans before any development is able to start.

HOW WE CAN HELP

We understand the pressing need to safeguard our natural resources and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come. By adopting responsible practices and embracing cutting-edge solutions, we strive to be at the forefront of biodiversity conservation efforts. We will help your business carry out a BNG assessment which is required to meet and deliver a 10% BNG in line with the newest regulation, putting in place a biodiversity net gain plan.

DATA COLLECTION

Tunley will collect information specific to the site in question, including the different habitat types encompassed within the site, and how these habitats are changed by actions taken. This will allow us to determine the baseline number of biodiversity units which are present in the area. This will require a comprehensive analysis of the area to determine the positive and negative impacts that any actions taken will have on biodiversity.

CALCULATION

Tunley will take all the data collected regarding the habitats identified in the area, including type, size, condition, and local significance to calculate the baseline number of biodiversity units. This will then inform on where habitats need to be conserved, enhanced or new habitats need to be built in order to meet the 10% BNG requirements.

IMPLEMENTATION

Building upon on the baseline results, we will then work with the organisation to develop a plan to implement nature positive initiatives specific to the area and achieve the 10% BNG requirement. These initiatives can include habitat restoration, conservation initiatives or sustainable land management to achieve 10% Net Gain.

Case Study

LEICESTER COLLEGE RECEIVE A BIODIVERSITY NET GAIN OF 21.11%

Tunley Environmental conducted an independent small site BNG Assessment to identify and quantify the biodiversity of the site before and after development. Leicester College, is planning to build a new building and training facility and with the support of Moss Architecture Interiors Ltd, they have been asked to provide evidence of 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) post-development to obtain planning permission.

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Biodiversity Net Loss

BIODIVERSITY NO NET LOSS & NET GAIN POLICY

Biodiversity No Net Loss is a conservation and environmental policy concept that aims to ensure that the overall level of biodiversity in a particular area remains at least constant, or ideally increases in the case of BNG, after human activities, such as development or infrastructure projects that have taken place.

The goal is to balance any negative impacts on biodiversity caused by these activities with measures that offset or compensate for the losses. The key principles of Biodiversity No Net Loss and Net Gain are:

AVOIDANCE

Avoid or minimise biodiversity loss by planning development projects in a way that has the least impact on natural ecosystems.

MINIMISATION

If biodiversity loss is inevitable, efforts should be made to minimise the impact as much as possible through responsible project design and implementation.

RESTORATION

When biodiversity is lost, there should be a commitment to restore or rehabilitate ecosystems to their pre-development state or improve their condition.

OFFSET

If it is not possible to fully restore the impacted ecosystems on-site, biodiversity offsets come into play. This involves creating or restoring equivalent or an even higher-quality habitat elsewhere to compensate for the loss.