This policy briefing analyses the likely impacts of England’s mandatory nature-offset markets – Biodiversity Net Gain and Nutrient Neutrality.
It finds that the current approach to valuing and monitoring habitats created under the biodiversity net gain framework risks delivering habitats that are smaller, less diverse and in worse ecological condition than the habitats that have been destroyed for development. Whether this risk is borne out in practice should be a focus of future evaluation.
To help mitigate this risk, the briefing recommends that the approach to habitat valuation increases the incentive to create habitats that are aligned with the Lawton principles and contribute to Local Nature Recovery Strategies.