Environment

Rethinking Growth: Nature-Positive Development

Ewan Edwards 6
Dr Ewan Edwards
Environmental Specialist

When we think of environmental impacts from human development, we often imagine disasters: oil spills, stranded whales, or climate-induced ecosystem collapse. While environmental impact assessments should consider both positive and negative effects, the emphasis has historically been on identifying and minimising harmful effects. However, after centuries of environmental degradation, there is a growing societal and regulatory push not just to reduce damage, but to leave the environment in a better state than before development began.

This article explores the evolving regulatory landscape around nature-positive development, the differences between onshore and marine approaches, and the work Xodus is doing to support these goals.

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

In England, the Biodiversity Net Gain policy has been in effect for over a year. It mandates that developers deliver a 10% net gain in biodiversity, ideally on-site or nearby. For instance, if a housing project removes 100 metres of hedgerow, it must restore or plant at least 110 metres elsewhere. If a like-for-like replacement isn’t feasible, alternative habitats may be used to achieve a similar net gain.

To support this, the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has created a standardised Biodiversity Metric to help developers quantify and plan their biodiversity contributions.

In the marine context, the UK government proposed Marine Net Gain (MNG) principles in 2022, but legislation is still pending. The likely approach will be strategic: developers contribute financially to broader environmental recovery efforts, such as through the Marine Recovery Fund. Scotland is expected to adopt a similar model.

Restoring Biodiversity: Land vs. Sea

Restoring biodiversity on land is relatively straightforward. Trees and hedgerows can be planted, ponds created, and grazers and predators managed. Monitoring is also easier: ecologists can directly observe and measure changes.

Marine restoration, however, presents two major challenges:

  • Ownership and Access: The seabed is largely public property, managed by entities like the Crown Estate. Gaining permission to restore habitats like oyster beds or seagrass meadows involves navigating complex regulations and potential conflicts with other marine users, such as fisheries.
  • Monitoring and Implementation: Underwater restoration is technically demanding and costly. Monitoring success is difficult due to visibility, depth, and safety concerns. These factors have slowed the development of marine net gain policies.

Industry-Led Net-Positive Impact (NPI) Assessment

Despite the lack of formal marine legislation, several energy companies are proactively committing to Net-Positive Impact (NPI) on biodiversity. For example:

  • Ørsted aims for all new projects from 2030 to deliver NPI[1].
  • bp has committed to NPI on new bp-operated projects[2].
  • SSE targets “no net loss” by 2023 and “net gain” by 2025 for large onshore projects[3].

Xodus has supported this shift by conducting NPI assessments for offshore energy projects. These assessments estimate residual impacts after mitigation, calculate the offsetting needed to achieve a +10% NPI, and propose suitable enhancement measures. This work is also valuable to financial institutions, which increasingly require biodiversity performance data to meet international standards.

Nature-Inclusive Design (NID)

Some infrastructure projects can inherently support biodiversity. Offshore wind farm foundations, for example, can act as artificial reefs. These structures attract encrusting organisms like barnacles and mussels, which in turn support fish, marine mammals, and birds.

Xodus supported development of the Collaboration for Environmental Mitigation & Nature Inclusive Design (CEMNID) report [4], through a project led by the Scottish Offshore Wind Energy Council. This initiative provides guidance on incorporating NID into offshore wind developments, helping reduce environmental risks and improve project approvals.

Research is also underway to better understand these effects. The PrePARED project, funded by the Offshore Wind Evidence & Change (OWEC) programme, found:

  • Flatfish and haddock were 2–3 times more abundant near turbines than at control sites.
  • Fish near turbines had 2–3 times higher energy content, offering richer food sources for predators.

While the long-term ecosystem impacts are still being studied, these findings suggest that offshore developments can have intrinsic positive biodiversity outcomes.

Conclusion

The shift from minimising harm to delivering nature-positive outcomes marks a significant evolution in environmental management. On land, policies like Biodiversity Net Gain are already shaping development. At sea, while regulatory frameworks are still emerging, research is paving the way, with some industry pioneers acting before MNG becomes mandatory.

Xodus is working at the forefront of this topic, applying our ecological expertise and capability to help clients achieve measurable biodiversity improvements. For more information or to explore how your project can contribute to a nature-positive future, contact Dr Ewan Edwards at ewan.edwards@xodusgroup.com.

 

[1] https://orsted.com/en/media/news/2021/06/697759855099726

[2] https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/sustainability/caring-for-our-planet.html

[3] https://www.sserenewables.com/sustainability/nature-positive/

[4] https://www.offshorewindscotland.org.uk/the-scottish-offshore-wind-industry/sowec/sowec-publications/cemnid-final-report/

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