In Articles, Insights |
January 25, 2024
BNG in the future
At Map Impact, we are always thinking about the end goal, and how our products can be used and applied as effectively as possible. It can be very easy to get carried away with the technology, but it’s really important to consider the problem you are trying to solve, and biodiversity is an ongoing problem, and nature is very difficult to measure!
Biodiversity Net Gain is a very important initiative, and there is a need to have a robust framework from which to measure and monitor biodiversity into the future. The Defra Biodiversity Metric Calculator is an important tool with which to set the scene.
Chris, Map Impact’s COO, recently attended a Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) conference where a fellow presenter, Jim Harris from Cranfield University, explained that the perception of optimal condition has likely changed due to climate fluctuations, and is likely to continue to change. It is important to consider that if we are trying to recreate ancient woodland, for example, it may not flourish in today’s climate. This really opened our eyes to the fact that we might be trying to recreate an environment that is no longer achievable today, and we may need to continuously consider how well habitats perform as climate evolves. Satellites can help us with this due to their ability to delve back into the relatively recent past.
With all of this in mind, we need to ensure that we have a consistent approach to monitoring condition, but also understand what any variations in optimal conditions are.
This can only be considered through collaboration between all stakeholders working in this space, and to have a holistic overview of the landscape that drives the strategic approach on a national scale to determine the impact of BNG across large areas.
The key requirement is to understand change. This will determine how rapidly biodiversity has deteriorated, and how it can then be improved upon via Biodiversity Net Gain. This can only be gauged over a long period of time by using consistent measuring. Consistent measuring requires units that are comparable, so it’s important to not get carried away by developments in technology, such as improved satellite resolution, or you very quickly run the risk of comparing increasingly detailed information with information that is more granular. This can mean that your benchmark measurement is no longer applicable nor comparable to your ongoing monitoring solution.
While BNG surveys and Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) focus on regional areas, it is also important to consider a top-down approach, where information is gathered on a national scale in a consistent way, to ensure that BNG is successful across the whole country.
It is crucial that statutory bodies are empowered to create and maintain consistent datasets to support BNG. There are many views that quite rightly voice the concern that there are too many competing entities that are trying to achieve a goal of creating a unique dataset to solve all of these problems, and they cannot all be right. This brings us back to why we founded Map Impact; the need for a reliable dataset that can be provided at local and regional levels, but also the importance of collaboration. If we all work together we can at least monitor change effectively and ensure that humanity’s impact no longer remains unchecked, and we can begin to live harmoniously with nature.
