Abstract
The introduction of the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) policy in England provides an exciting opportunity for improving the environment for future generations. Indeed, this policy mandates development must achieve a measurable gain in biodiversity, hence potentially upturning the significant impacts on biodiversity consequence of urbanisation. However, this policy is not without shortcomings that may jeopardise its success.
To effectively identify and categorise these potential shortcomings, the first part of this thesis interviews key policy stakeholders to find key regulatory and operational requirements that must be addressed for BNG to succeed. This study highlights the need of employing BNG strategies that maximise the benefits for both biodiversity and the local communities.
The second part of this thesis contends that biodiversity benefits would be maximised if BNG contributes to enhancing the functional connectivity of the landscape, a key requirement for maintaining biodiversity. To this end, it proposes the use of a state-of-the-art connectivity algorithm to incorporate the restoration of functional connectivity as a BNG co-objective. Moreover, it demonstrates how the resulting outputs are a powerful tool to assess how BNG can contribute to reversing habitat fragmentation, and bridges the gap between academic and practitioner requirements by assessing the challenges that planning and environmental practitioners are likely to face when performing these analyses.
Finally, the third part of this thesis focuses on incorporating people’s wellbeing as a co-objective of the BNG policy. Indeed, this may provide multiple benefits, such as an increased likelihood of BNG success and better decision-making. To address this challenge, this thesis presents a novel, place-based, wellbeing assessment methodology to help design BNG strategies that promote person-place connections, leading to wellbeing gains. Based on these findings, we propose broadening the scope of ecosystem restoration to include community-based place values to create successful community engagement, which would, in turn, benefit the long-term success of BNG interventions as well as enhance people’s wellbeing through an increased sense of place.
All these novel approaches have been piloted in a real case-study, Blackwell Park, a planned development on the outskirts of Guildford (England).