Biodiversity net gain as a new income for farmers and land managers
Did you know that the new biodiversity net gain requirement has the potential to be a new source of income for your farm?
Biodiversity net gain (BNG) is a strategy to develop land and at the same time, contribute to the recovery of nature. It ensures habitat for wildlife is in a better state than it was before development started. Large and small developments must achieve an overall 10% BNG as part of their project.
If BNG is unachievable within the development site, developers can pay other landowners and land managers to carry out habitat improvements on their behalf. This means land managers now have the opportunity to sell developers biodiversity units to address their BNG requirement.
How to calculate your farm biodiversity units
The amount of biodiversity units you can sell will depend on the size, quality, and location of the habitat types on your land. A CIEEM qualified ecologist will need to calculate your total number of biodiversity units using Natural England’s latest biodiversity metric. You can then sell these units to developers so they can meet their BNG targets.
How ADAS can support farmers with calculating and selling biodiversity net gain units
ADAS as an agricultural and environmental consultancy is home to both CIEEM qualified ecologists and experienced agricultural consultants. This means we will consider the gains that could be made, both from a farm business perspective and a nature perspective.
As part of an initial biodiversity audit to list all the landscape features and species on your farm, our agricultural consultants will consider:
- the needs of your farm business so you can maintain productivity
- priority habitats and species in your area
- nearby designations i.e. SSSIs, Nature Reserves, National Character Areas
- local nature recovery strategies (which could help you qualify for more biodiversity units)
- other potential grant opportunities
After this initial biodiversity audit, our ecology team can then:
- calculate your current biodiversity units
- look at where further improvements could be made
- create an achievable biodiversity action plan that will work alongside your farm operations
Once you know your BNG unit value, our ADAS consultants can help you sell these units or put you in contact with developers who wish to buy BNG units.
Biodiversity audits under the Future Farming Resilience Fund
If you qualify for the Future Farming Resilience Fund, you could avail of a free initial biodiversity audit with ADAS to get started.