Gavin Ward’s Post

The ecosystem collapse of the WA vegetation over the summer of 2023/24, highlights how vulnerable and non-renewable our native seed supply is. This sector is poorly regulated, with big polluters exploiting the supply to offset their emissions with little consideration of larger demand, public need and genetic diversity. I hope that this article is just the beginning of a greater scrutiny in the native seed supply sector, and more safeguards are put in place to protect the vegetation, and the precious seed, for future generations.

A great set of Lichfields UK resources on BNG, found within this blog from Emily Clarke, explain the lay of the land in light of the new statutory requirements in force from today. The resources can also be found on our dedicated BNG page here: https://lnkd.in/eRvUBxyj

Biodiversity Net Gain: A Timeline Guide of the Changes to the Planning System Today marks a key change in the planning system with the mandatory requirement for developments to achieve a 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) coming into force for major planning applications. Lichfields has summarised the new process in a BNG Timeline showing how development will need to respond from the initial pre-application stage to managing and monitoring any habitats in the long term or for at least 30 years. See Emily Clarke's full blog here: https://lnkd.in/egfZmqMr

Today Biodiversity Net Gain becomes mandatory for major planning applications in England. My blog below provides an introduction to help navigate the changes to the system and includes a set of useful resources on what this means at each stage of the planning process and its contribution to protecting our habitats. The full set of resources are also available at Lichfields' own BNG Page here: https://lnkd.in/eUQiB8gS

The final version of the statutory biodiversity metric guidance was published by Government today. Katie Gowers neatly summarises the changes below but as ever, do make sure to read the guidance #biodiversitynetgain

Happy #BNG commencement day everyone - thanks so much to everyone who made it possible! 🥂 In readiness for today, we’ve been working to finalise both the Defra guidance and statutory metric user guides that were published in draft at the end of November. DLUHC have also published their finalised PLanning Practice Guidance. We’ve listened to the feedback we received from stakeholders, and you’ll see that we’ve made some updates to the guidance including information on: - phased development - irreplaceable habitats - what developers may submit with their planning application - developments below the threshold (de minimis) - the biodiversity gain hierarchy In the metric user guides we have clarified the process for assessing strategic significance when an LNRS is yet to be published and the methodology for recording individual trees. And finally the biodiversity gain register and statutory credits sales service are now live! Links below, including a blog update from our Deputy Director for Land Use, Rachel Fisher, outlining some of the many benefits of BNG! 🌳 Defra guidance: https://lnkd.in/e_UMD52W 🌺 The statutory metric calculation tools and user guides: https://lnkd.in/ebyaK2KF 🌿 BNG is LIVE blog update: https://lnkd.in/eGvSxaFS 📋 The biodiversity gain register: - Register your land: https://lnkd.in/eZR-2PBY - Search the public register: https://lnkd.in/eGWRqhaK 🛒 The statutory credits sales service: - Estimate the cost of statutory credits: https://lnkd.in/ejseqvEq - Buy statutory credits as a last resort: https://lnkd.in/e2VHJCt3 🏚 And finally, the link to the PPG: https://lnkd.in/eBCMe-MJ #biodiversitynetgain #biodiversity #environmentalpolicy #environment #planning

“In two-thirds of cases, conservation improved the state of #biodiversity or at least slowed declines. Specifically, interventions targeted at species and #ecosystems, such as invasive species control, habitat loss reduction… and sustainable management, are highly effective...” Science Magazine study confirms that conservation policy, including targeting #InvasiveAlienSpecies, is highly effective - important #ForNature and economy as #InvasiveSpecies cost 12bn a year, making a strong business case for their regulation 🌺 https://lnkd.in/dHvrsSXi

In Australia, #farmers are facing increasing soil erosion, spreading soil salinity, diminishing #biodiversity and global #climatechange. These issues make conserving biodiversity #complex; they highlight the need for inclusive, respectful approaches that help rural communities, private landholders and government agencies effectively manage biodiversity on private lands. Does a ‘community of practice’ offer a way of setting up active, positive collaborations for research into natural resources on farms? Read more in our latest paper in Ecological Management & Restoration. https://lnkd.in/gmmCz3ZM #EcolSocAus #scicomm #CharlesSturtUni #GulbaliInstitute

This is a good way to start the week and interesting read considering the associated challenges. Let's hope other countries will follow as loss of habitats due to land take and soil artificialization do not seem to stop very soon. #biodiversity #constrution #England

From today, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) - an approach to creating and improving natural habitats, is mandatory across England.     BNG is used to assess the impact on a development has on biodiversity and the new rules say developers must deliver a 10% ‘net gain’. This should mean developments will have more or better quality natural habitat than before the development.     Aaron Grainger, Associate Director, Buro Happold says “Biodiversity net gain is not always just ecology specific and needs to be completed or developed in collaboration with other teams and disciplines. Our approach brings in experts from other environmental disciplines, including experts in landscape design, hydrology, air quality, to ensure that we deliver holistic solutions that tackle both the biodiversity and climate crises, improve access to nature for society, and offer benefits for health and well-being.”     In this piece, we explore the details of biodiversity net gain, the implications for our clients and how Buro Happold has been approaching it to help our clients deliver the best possible outcomes for biodiversity. Read more: https://buro.im/3SS6Qt8     #consultancy #advisory #builtenvironment #ecology #biodiversity #biodiversitynetgain #BNG