Biodiversity Index England

At the individual site level, we are also starting work on a net gain habitat management plan and reporting template. It is vitally important that habitats are managed and maintained for the duration of the BNG agreement and that, if necessary, corrective measures are implemented if the BNG outcomes forecast through the metric are not forthcoming. None of us wants to see an outcome that looks good in the metrics calculation but then fails to materialise on the ground. Habitat enhanced or created to achieve BNG must achieve the distinctiveness and condition forecast and be managed and maintained over the long-term to benefit wildlife. Currently many habitat plans only consider what is needed over a 5-10-year period. BNG requires habitats be secured for at least 30 years, which means they must be managed and monitored. Adaptive management techniques may be needed to help facilitate this combined with periodic reporting of the habitat outcomes that enable corrective or enforcement (in extremis) action to be undertaken. Natural England will work with key stakeholders to develop a long-term habitat management and reporting plan for use in BNG.

The above only touches on some of the additional detail that is still needed to ensure that BNG delivers the outcome that we all want. This Autumn, Defra will be consulting on BNG Secondary Legislation and Regulations. We anticipate that this consultation will set out more of the detail needed to help ensure BNG delivers for nature and for people. Natural England has been working closely with Defra group colleagues in on this and we encourage everyone to get involved when the consultation is published.

So, to conclude. BNG is not just about the metric, important as that is. It is also about ensuring that BNG is delivered to a good standard, in the right places and in a manner that is transparent and can be managed, monitored, and maintained for the long term.  Natural England has a key role in some aspects and welcomes engagement, but we must all work together over the coming years while this beds in to ensure that we do realise our ambitions – this is too good an opportunity to miss.

specific targets:

• targets based on existing legislation (for wetlands, forests​, grasslands, river and lakes, heath & scrub​, rocky habitats and dunes) - improving and re-establishing biodiverse habitats on a large scale, and bringing back species populations by improving and enlarging their habitats

• pollinating insects – reversing the decline of pollinator populations by 2030, and achieving an increasing trend for pollinator populations, with a methodology for regular monitoring of pollinators

• forest ecosystems – achieving an increasing trend for standing and lying deadwood, uneven aged forests, forest connectivity, abundance of common forest birds and stock of organic carbon

• urban ecosystems – no net loss of green urban space by 2030, and an increase in the total area covered by green urban space by 2040 and 2050

• agricultural ecosystems – increasing grassland butterflies and farmland birds, the stock of organic carbon in cropland mineral soils, and the share of agricultural land with high-diversity landscape features; restoring drained peatlands under agricultural use

• marine ecosystems – restoring marine habitats such as seagrass beds or sediment bottoms that deliver significant benefits, including for climate change mitigation, and restoring the habitats of iconic marine species such as dolphins and porpoises, sharks and seabirds.

• river connectivity – identifying and removing barriers that prevent the connectivity of surface waters, so that at least 25 000 km of rivers are restored to a free-flowing state by 2030

Implementation

EU countries are expected to submit National Restoration Plans to the Commission within two years of the Regulation coming into force, showing how they will deliver on the targets. They will also be required to monitor and report on their progress. The European Environment Agency will draw up regular technical reports on progress towards the targets. The Commission, in turn, will report to the European Parliament and to the Council on the implementation of the Nature Restoration Law.

December 2020 - September 2021
Five stakeholder workshops took place

These workshops discussed policy options and collect views from a broad range of stakeholders on:

• the options for restoration targets, how these targets should be implemented,
  and the potential social, economic and wider environmental impacts that need to be considered and enhanced

• the preliminary research and documentation of the impact assessment and accreditation process

May 2022 - Feb 2023
Collected stakeholder views on the main elements and approach to devising the proposal