What is biodiversity off-setting?
an approach that can be used to compensate for habitats and species lost to development in one area, with the creation, enhancement or restoration of habitat in another.
Biodiversity off-setting was announced in the Government’s Natural Environment White Paper - its 50-year vision for the natural environment. It is an approach that can be used to compensate for habitats and species lost to development in one area, with the creation, enhancement or restoration of habitat in another.
The idea is that any residual negative impacts on the natural environment would be compensated for, or ‘offset’ by developers. We believe that the offsets should be used near the impact, targeted locally in strategic areas that will benefit wildlife, for example to create ecological networks.
When is it appropriate to use biodiversity off-setting?
The replacement of one habitat with another is extremely complex
The Wildlife Trusts recognise the potential of biodiversity offsetting on land, but believe it is a last resort measure and should only be used to compensate for genuinely unavoidable damage. The replacement of one habitat with another is extremely complex and there are some habitats that are simply irreplaceable, so:
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The starting point for any development proposal should be to avoid damage to our most important wildlife sites.
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Next, it is essential to mitigate the potential damage of a development through good design.
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Only then - and as a final measure - should off-setting be considered to compensate for damage that cannot be avoided or mitigated.
Any offsetting should help nature to recover by creating more habitat than is being lost.
Our work
Last year we examined more than 50,000 planning applications
The Wildlife Trusts work closely with developers and planners throughout the UK every day to ensure that development and wildlife can coexist.
Last year we examined more than 50,000 planning applications to assess their impact on wildlife and advise on improvements.
You can find out more about our work on planning at www.wildlifetrusts.org/planning
How should biodiversity off-setting be managed?
There are many issues to consider to ensure biodiversity off-setting works effectively and delivers high quality restoration of the natural environment.
While the idea of off-setting is becoming more widely recognised, its use in the UK to compensate for developmental damage on the natural environment is a relatively new concept.
There are many issues to consider to ensure biodiversity off-setting works effectively and delivers high quality restoration of the natural environment.
In April 2012, Defra initiated six pilots with local planning authorities and their partners to test this approach over a two year period.
The Wildlife Trusts are engaged in the Government’s six pilot schemes and believe that the lessons learned from these pilots will be critical in informing the design of any offsetting scheme.
Downloads
| Filename | File size |
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| biodiversity_offsetting_july_2013_final.pdf | 217.53 KB |