Cotton grass on Rivington Moor - Richard Burkmarr
‘Biodiversity Offsetting’ aims to compensate for the unavoidable negative impact to habitats and the functions they provide caused by development activity. Offsets must achieve conservation outcomes that would not have been delivered otherwise.
Net gain is an approach to development that seeks to measurably enhance biodiversity. Where an offset is provided this should exceed the impact it compensates for by at least 10 per cent, as set out in the Environment Bill presented to parliament in 2020.
To assess the opportunity to secure upfront investment in habitat creation and restoration for BNG, Finance Earth worked in close collaboration with Salford City Council, Greater Manchester Ecology Unit (“GMEU”) and the Greater Manchester BNG Task Group to forecast potential income levels that could be generated through the sale of offsite BNG credits in Greater Manchester.