Putting nature at the heart of infrastructure using biodiversity net gain – key insights

Infrastructure projects have played a role in the current global biodiversity crisis, such as by changing land use and contributing to human-induced climate change. If done well, delivering biodiversity net gain (BNG) on infrastructure projects will contribute to nature recovery by shifting mindsets away from mitigation and compensation, towards betterment from the outset. BNG is an approach to development and land management that aims to leave the natural environment in a measurably better state than it was before. The legal requirement for BNG was introduced in England earlier this year. Although the legislation is new, Jacobs has been delivering BNG on infrastructure design projects for several years, enabling the development of a multi-disciplinary approach and innovative tools for assessment. This paper shares some key insights into the opportunities and practical challenges that infrastructure planning, environmental engineering and sustainability teams may encounter with the BNG requirements. Using case studies from the water and transportation sectors, it discusses how consenting and project delivery risks can be resolved and how BNG can encourage more collaborative, strategic thinking and act as a golden thread to the delivery of wider sustainability benefits.