How BNG delivery starts on the ground

Turning Biodiversity Net Gain into something that works on the ground

BNG doesn’t succeed on paper. It succeeds on delivery. 

At the start of every scheme, we bring all stakeholders together on site. Landowners, ecologists, and local specialist partners who know the landscape. 

Not for a tick-box exercise. To make sure Biodiversity Net Gain works in practice. 

Because this is where schemes succeed or fall short.  

The Biofarm team visiting Rycote Farm stood in a field

Some of the Biofarm team on a field visit to Rycote Farm

Turning BNG policy into delivery

Biodiversity Net Gain sets clear outcomes. But translating those into something deliverable on the ground is where complexity sits. 

That’s where early alignment matters. 

By walking the land together, we: 

  • map real-world constraints early 

  • challenge assumptions before they become problems 

  • align everyone on what delivery actually looks like 

 This step removes uncertainty. And reduces risk before it becomes delay or cost. 

A plan that works in practice

From that first site visit, we build a clear, site-specific delivery plan. 

That includes: 

  • habitat creation and enhancement strategies 

  • realistic phasing of works 

  • consideration of infrastructure, access and local wildlife pressures 

  • input from people who actively manage the land 

Alongside this, we produce a tailored Habitat Management Guide. A practical, plain-speaking document that sets out: 

  • what needs to be done 

  • when it needs to happen 

  • where flexibility exists over time 

No jargon. No ambiguity. Just clarity. 

Rycote Farm site visit planning session

Grounded in local knowledge

We work with local specialist partners who understand the landscape they’re operating in. 

People who know the land. The conditions. The practical realities of delivery. 

It keeps schemes grounded, supports the local rural economy, and ensures habitat creation is shaped by place, not just policy. 

A recent example in practice

Most recently at our Rycote Farm habitat bank in South Oxfordshire, we brought the landowner and local delivery partners together before any habitat work began. 

On site, we: 

  • walked the land to understand constraints and opportunities 

  • agreed meadow creation and scrub planting for year one 

  • shaped delivery around infrastructure, access and local wildlife pressures 

The outcome was a clear, shared plan. Agreed early. Built to work in practice. 

Supporting delivery for the long term

BNG doesn’t end at planning approval. It’s a 30-year commitment. 

That only works when landowners feel confident in what’s expected and supported in delivering it. 

We stay involved through establishment and long-term management, ensuring habitats are created, maintained, and performing as intended. 

Why this approach works

BNG schemes don’t come unstuck because of policy. They come unstuck when: 

  • expectations aren’t aligned early 

  • plans don’t reflect how land is actually managed 

  • delivery isn’t grounded in local knowledge 

By bringing the right people together from the outset, we create schemes that hold up in policy, and in practice. 

BNG that works for everyone

BNG should do more than meet a requirement. 

It should work for developers navigating planning. 

For landowners managing land long-term. 

For local authorities needing confidence in delivery. 

And for the communities and nature it’s designed to support. 

That starts on site. With the right people. At the right time.

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Biodiversity Net Gain: A Landowner Perspective from Fisher German on the Emerging Environmental Market

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Worth Abbey Habitat Bank arrives: Biodiversity Net Gain in the High Weald