While cranes rise and concrete pours, habitats shrink, wildlife gets displaced, and ecosystems become fragmented. The construction industry has long been blamed for environmental decline through resource extraction and exploitation, site clearance and habitat destruction.
It has now been a little over a year since biodiversity net gain became mandatory for developments in the UK through Schedule 14 of the Environment Act 2021 (the Act), requiring developers to provide a minimum of 10% biodiversity net gain on sites once completed.
Under the Act, biodiversity net gain can be achieved through:
- creating biodiversity on-site;
- creating biodiversity off-site; and/or
-
purchasing statutory biodiversity credits, which enable the Government to invest in habitat creation.
Any habitats created or enhanced must be maintained for a minimum of 30 years.
Additionally, the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 promotes habitat protection by requiring all public bodies to have regard for biodiversity conservation in carrying out their functions, and all developers to show that biodiversity conservation has been adequately addressed within development proposals.
On site solutions
The default option, as set by the Act, requires developers to deliver biodiversity net gain through enhancing natural habitats on site, and only if this is not possible or insufficient, can it be achieved through the latter two options.
Integrating Biodiversity into Building Design
Green spaces, planted with native species, are a direct way to compensate for habitats lost through development by recreating landforms on the developed land that can support the same or more species that previously occupied the area. Green spaces can be created, or existing spaces preserved and enhanced (particularly by preserving mature trees).
Strategically designed green spaces can be multi-functional. Green roofs, for example, can not only insulate buildings, but also create habitats for pollinators and birds. The roofs may also be designed with features such as deadwood piles, boulders and small water pockets to attract a variety of invertebrates and other wildlife.
Buildings themselves can also serve as ecological assets by incorporating features such as:
- Bird and bat boxes: Designed to allow bats and birds to build nesting sites in urban environments where there are few suitable roosting sites, and generally provide safe resting spots during the daytime.
- Bee bricks: Bricks with small cavities designed to support declining solitary bee species by providing a nesting space within the framework of a building, which are used in place of a standard brick in house building. They have the added benefit of attracting bees to the area, promoting ecological balance and biodiversity by ensuring proper pollination of crops.
- Planters and window boxes: A vital source of food, shelter and water for pollinators and birds to safely take refuge in, and which enhance urban biodiversity by encouraging planting.
Enhancing ecological networks
Wildlife corridors, guide walls, newt fencing and escape ladders all serve as ways to ensure that various species may continue to live, migrate and spread across developed land. They may also be used as methods of compensating for lost habitats by restoring and linking nearby ecosystems and translocating any affected species.
- Wildlife corridors: A safe route that links up habitats, and supports the movement of species in search of resources across habitats.
- Newt fencing: A barrier built around a construction site that is used to divert movement patterns of protected great crested newts and other amphibians.
- Gully ladders: Netting that allows small animals to escape from drainage gullies, especially during migration periods.
Restoring and linking existing habitats is particularly effective in maintaining biodiversity, as connected ecosystems are more resilient and better support wildlife populations.
Off-site solution
Off-site biodiversity can be created through habitat creation or enhancement undertaking on land outside of the development site. Off-site biodiversity units are a tradeable commodity, and are frequently created by specialists and landowners and purchased by developers. Developers may purchase off-site biodiversity units from a Biodiversity Gain Site, and are then responsible for managing and upkeeping a habitat management plan created by the landowners that ensure habitats created are maintained for the next 30 years (or more).
Where are we headed?
Maintaining biodiversity in the construction industry is no longer optional, but an essential component of developments in the UK. With biodiversity net gain now a legal requirement under the Act, developers must proactively integrate ecological considerations into their projects. As regulatory frameworks and public awareness continue to evolve, the construction industry has begun to embrace these principles, ensuring that future construction not only minimises harm but actively contributes to thriving ecosystems. By doing so, the built environment may finally shift from being a driver of nature loss, to a leader in environmental restoration.
