Leveraging Biodiversity Net Gain to address invertebrate declines in England

Insect Conservation and Diversity, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: March 24, 2025

Abstract Meeting ambitions such as the Global Biodiversity Framework 2030 targets will require multiple conservation mechanisms that benefit widest possible range of habitats and species. Here, we evaluate likely impact a novel ambitious ecological compensation policy, Net Gain (BNG) in England, on terrestrial insects, spiders other arthropods (‘invertebrates’), functionally essential but rapidly declining group taxa. Current implementation BNG England sets out to provide 10% uplift biodiversity when infrastructure development (such housebuilding) occurs. However, is habitat‐driven approach risks overlooking important considerations relevant invertebrate conservation, threatens further reduce size quality their may increase habitat fragmentation. BNG, currently implemented, therefore represents missed opportunity use universally applied policy invertebrates components biodiversity. We suggest ways forward realign with what know be crucial for successful National Pollinator Strategy. This ensure appropriate conditions are retained, enhanced created at landscape scale optimised contribute broader national targets. As accounting offsetting schemes increasingly adopted around world, experience provides valuable insights into how programmes could better designed, implemented monitored benefits wide variety taxa achieved.

Language: Английский

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Metrics based on habitat area and condition are poor proxies for invertebrate biodiversity

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Oct. 3, 2024

Abstract There is increasing demand for standardised, easy-to-use metrics to assess progress towards achieving biodiversity targets and the effectiveness of ecological compensation schemes. Biodiversity based on combining habitat area condition scores are proliferating rapidly, but there limited evidence how they relate outcomes. Here, we test relationship between statutory metric used Net Gain (BNG) in England — as basis new credit systems around world invertebrate richness, abundance, community composition. We find that combined area-condition BNG does not capture value arable farmland grassland sites biodiversity: communities were highly variable across had same type under metric. was no significant abundance or species richness scores. Our results highlight need incorporate factors beyond into site evaluations, complement use with species-based surveys.

Language: Английский

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Biodiversity accounting on farms: Relating diversity of bird assemblages to ecosystem condition

The Science of The Total Environment, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 958, P. 177974 - 177974

Published: Dec. 10, 2024

Language: Английский

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Public Opinions of a Net Outcome Policy: The Case of Biodiversity Net Gain in England

Published: Jan. 1, 2024

Language: Английский

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