Call to government: Safeguard the future of Biodiversity Net Gain
On the morning of Friday 12th December, the IES joined voices from across the environment sector in calls to protect Biodiversity Net Gain.
Reports came out this week that the UK Government intends to exempt small sites from Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and introduce further wide-ranging exemptions to the potentially world-leading policy.
BNG aims to ensure development delivers for nature. It includes a requirement for certain development processes in England to result in 10% more (or better quality) natural habitat than there was before development.
The changes being discussed would jeopardise the future of Biodiversity Net Gain, weakening one of the UK’s most important nature recovery policies. They would also create new uncertainty, undermining confidence for those who have already invested considerably in BNG's implementation, including environmental scientists, local authorities, and the private sector.
The IES is calling for an approach that is proportionate and based on the evidence.
What does the evidence say on BNG?
Since publishing leading evidence in February on the implementation of Biodiversity Net Gain in our report: 'BNG in Practice: One year on from mandatory implementation', the IES and its Environmental Policy Implementation Community (EPIC) have been working with partners to deliver an effective and sensible approach to BNG. The report was published in partnership with the Association of Local Government Ecologists (ALGE).
The evidence shows that exempting small sites could remove as many as 97% of planning applications from BNG requirements, which would essentially strip BNG of its effectiveness and restrict the ability to secure any meaningful gains for nature.
These 'small sites' under threat by the Government add up to something bigger: a blanket exemption like the one being discussed would affect an area three times the size of Birmingham, without any compensation for nature.
The location of these sites also matters. Often, these provide essential connections between habitats, and many of them are likely to contain critical priority habitats like ancient woodland, species-rich grasslands, and saltmarshes.
What should the Government do now?
The IES has called on the Government to reject broad exemptions. Relying on a broad exemption could lead to some of the worst possible outcomes and is not supported by evidence.
Instead, an evidence-based approach is essential. Environmental professionals are ready to support a better approach to BNG, and the IES and ALGE have already published evidence of what would work better in practice.
Both organisations have also responded directly to the Government's call for evidence, and the IES supported a letter in November making the case against small sites exemptions.
For further information
Get in touch with Ellie Savage (ellie@the-ies.org) or Joseph Lewis (joseph@the-ies.org).
If you are an environmental professional who wants to support evidence-based and interdisciplinary action on Biodiversity Net Gain, join the IES or the Environmental Policy Implementation Community.
Header image credit: © Ruud Morijn via Adobe Stock
