Earlier this year we were asked to contribute to The September edition of environmental SCIENTIST – the journal of the #InstitutionofEnvironmentalSciences(IES) – examines the evolving concept of ‘net gain’ in environmental policy frameworks, from both a UK and global perspective.
The September issue "Counting On Net Gain" is now available to non (IES) members and is being released early to tie in with today's COP29 theme on Nature and Biodiversity.
This issue of the journal, titled ‘Counting on Net Gain’, approaches an idea that has been gaining traction in environmental thinking in recent years. Exploring the concept of net gain from a range of different disciplines, articles in this issue of environmental SCIENTIST consider the opportunities and limitations of net gain, as a global policy and regulatory framework, and as a way of thinking that can shape our understanding of progress and development.
Contributors to this issue, like ourselves, examine specific policies, such as the now-mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain, which came into effect in England in February 2024, as well as wider conceptualisations of the term that incorporate marine life, the wider environment, and our society. Situating net gain in a global context, articles will respond to important questions about its usage and implementation: including what challenges do policymakers face when addressing such complex and far-reaching goals? How can landowners, such as Alscot, and other stakeholders become engaged with long-term and complex environmental protection practices? Is net gain a concept that should be extended to other areas of environmental protection and policy, beyond just biodiversity?
This issue was guest edited by Principal Advisor for Net Gain at Natural England, Nick White. In his current role, Nick focuses on BNG implementation, the biodiversity metric, and BNG standards and guidance.
Read the full edition featuring Alscot's case study.
https://www.the-ies.org/resources/counting-net-gain
#bng #alscot #biodiversitynetgain