So what's a biodiversity unit - can I get a job in one?

[whole diary]

[stuving]

Prompted by this from Construction News:

Network Rail has acquired 65 biodiversity units from Cambridgeshire County Council to facilitate the delivery of a new railway station in South Cambridge at Lower Valley Farm in England. One of the largest of its kind in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom), the 354-acre site is being transformed from arable farmland into biodiverse habitats that will eventually provide a home for species of conservation concern such as the Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting.

Delivered in partnership with property consultancy Bidwells, which has been appointed to manage the scheme over the next five years, Lower Valley Farm has been developed to coincide with the introduction of new regulations in January 2024 that will require all developments – whether housing, commercial or infrastructure projects – to produce a biodiversity net gain of at least 10% if they are to be granted planning permission.

It turns out the important bit is that last sentence. It's all about Schedule 7A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as inserted by Schedule 14 of the Environment Act 2021) - which we all knew about already, didn't we?

This is the official explanation:

What biodiversity net gain is

Biodiversity net gain (BNG) is a way of creating and improving natural habitats. BNG makes sure development has a measurably positive impact (‘net gain’) on biodiversity, compared to what was there before development. 

In England, biodiversity net gain (BNG) is becoming mandatory [next month].

Developers must deliver a biodiversity net gain of 10%. This means a development will result in more or better quality natural habitat than there was before development.

Measuring biodiversity 

For the purposes of BNG, biodiversity is measured in standardised biodiversity units.

A habitat will contain a number of biodiversity units, depending on things like its: 

•     size 
  
•     quality 
  
•     location  
  
•     type

Biodiversity units can be lost through development or generated through work to create and enhance habitats.

Calculating the units

There is a statutory (official) biodiversity metric, which is a way of measuring:

    how many units a habitat contains before development 
    how many units are needed to replace the units of habitat lost and to achieve 10% BNG

I suspect we'll be hearing a lot more about BNG and BUs.

[eightonedee]

This has been a long time acoming. It's how the Government intends to achieve their stated goal of ensuring that any new development achives an overall net gain in biodiversity both from features incorporated in the development itself and what is a very complicated off-setting regime.

It is being looked at particularly by farmers and landowners who have poor unproductive land that struggles to make money from agriculture.  They hope that by carrying out habitat improvement for wildlife at the cost of developers who cannot offset on-site using these Defra formulae they will make more money than simply applying artificial fertilisers and pesticides to poor grade land.

It might work.........

[CyclingSid]

But what about the newts?

[stuving]

But what about the newts?

I suspect single-species requirements will continue as now - this is about biodiversity, and one species can't be biodiverse.

But if you've got a newt you are worried about, I suppose you can try to enter it into the Statutory biodiversity metric (for which you'll also need a qualified ecologist) or, if appropriate, the Small sites metric (statutory biodiversity metric).

[grahame]

But what about the newts?

I suspect single-species requirements will continue as now - this is about biodiversity, and one species can't be biodiverse.

But if you've got a newt you are worried about, I suppose you can try to enter it into the Statutory biodiversity metric (for which you'll also need a qualified ecologist) or, if appropriate, the Small sites metric (statutory biodiversity metric).

Natterjack Toads, Otters, Great Auks, Red Squirrels, Newts, White Storks and Commn Tree frogs.  None of them unique in their own way, but each provides or provided an addition to biodiversity.  It's perverse that no one species in itself is biodiverse, but each species must be preserved to preserve biodiversity.

Diversity adds to a richness of variety and should be celebrated; it prevents all eggs being placed in one basket and if that basket should fail for the dominant species, the whole balance could be knocked.  For that reason, we should be enouraging our train operator to retain class 57, 150, 158, 165, 166, 230, 387, 800, 802, and Castle, and perhaps looking to add representatives from classes such as 139, 153, 156, 159, 168, 180 and 801, with others coming on board too as they are manufactured.   I rather suspect that this scenario would create a nightmare for mainentance, staff qualification and control teams!

[PrestburyRoad]

Diversity adds to a richness of variety and should be celebrated; it prevents all eggs being placed in one basket and if that basket should fail for the dominant species, the whole balance could be knocked.  For that reason, we should be encouraging our train operator to retain class 57, 150, 156, 158, 165, 166, 230, 387, 800, 802, and Castle, and perhaps looking to add representatives from classes such as 139, 153, 159, 168, 180 and 801, with others coming on board too as they are manufactured.   I rather suspect that this scenario would create a nightmare for maintenance, staff qualification and control teams!

That sounds like running a heritage railway - oh, wait a minute, maybe that's what we've got already (in parts)

[TonyN]

For that reason, we should be enouraging our train operator to retain class 57, 150, 158, 165, 166, 230, 387, 800, 802, and Castle, and perhaps looking to add representatives from classes such as 139, 153, 156, 159, 168, 180 and 801, with others coming on board too as they are manufactured.

However you will also need lots of different ramps.



This lot are at Worcester Shrub Hill and cover all current West Midland and GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) units.

[Red Squirrel]

If you’re looking for something to buy with your Xmas book token, and you already own enough railway books, you could consider ‘Wilding’ by the wonderfully nominatively deterministical Isabella Tree. Well worth a read if you’re interested in an alternative angle on conservation.

[TaplowGreen]

If you’re looking for something to buy with your Xmas book token, and you already own enough railway books, you could consider ‘Wilding’ by the wonderfully nominatively deterministical Isabella Tree. Well worth a read if you’re interested in an alternative angle on conservation.

Is it her usual subject or is she branching out?

[ChrisB]

Not long to go for the cracker jokes I see....