Biodiversity net gain (BNG) is becoming increasingly important and provides a way to develop land while contributing to the recovery of nature. Last week, Natural England published the Biodiversity Metric 4.0, which is the latest progress towards measuring and managing biodiversity.
For an overview of what biodiversity net gain is, see our blog post here.
In 2019, the UK government announced that it would require developers to deliver a 10% net gain in biodiversity on all new developments. The announcement was swiftly followed by the production of a metric, an accounting tool that can be used to calculate biodiversity net gain. As a response to a consultation run by DEFRA, a number of improvements have been made to the biodiversity metric 3.1. The new version of the BNG metric, BNG 4.0 builds on the series of previous biodiversity metrics.
What Updates Are In BNG 4.0
BNG 4.0 published by Natural England includes updated user guides, condition assessment sheets and calculation tools. The biodiversity metric 4.0 mainly differs from its predecessors by its enhanced user experience.
Changes to the metric include:
- Applying the spatial risk multiplier to any overall off-site net gains;
- Additional error codes to ensure data is correctly entered;
- Increased number of summary tables on each calculation tab, making it easier to track progress toward BNG;
- Introduction of a conversion tool from metres squared to hectares;
- The option to set bespoke net gain targets at the beginning of a project (defaulted to 10%); and
- Renaming of the river module to the watercourse module.
Aside from the metric calculation tool, other amendments include the re-classification of some habitats and changes within the sheets used to assess habitat condition. The QGIS template and small sites metric have been updated accordingly.
Implications For Developers
Although there is still a small amount of uncertainty as to what the statutory metric will be from the Government when it becomes a lawful requirement to all development in November 2023, Natural England have stated “We anticipate that this next version of the biodiversity metric, including the small sites metric, will form the basis of the statutory metric”.
BNG 4.0 will hopefully provide a basis on which ecologists, landowners and local planning authorities can prepare for the introduction of the statutory metric, in addition to the updates providing a more robust and effective tool for delivering biodiversity net gain.
How Acer Can Help
At Acer, we are a team of experienced ecologists and are able to provide a range of ecological services, including preliminary ecological appraisals and biodiversity net gain assessments.
We have undertaken these services in Bristol, Bath, Gloucester, and Somerset.
If you would like any more information on the kinds of services we have to offer, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
