Biodiversity Net Gain for Landowners

Turn biodiversity into long-term income without compromising your land or legacy.

If you’re a landowner, BNG isn’t just a new environmental regulation—it’s an emerging income opportunity. As developers face legal obligations to offset biodiversity loss, the need for offsite BNG units is expected to exceed £135–£274 million per year.

But this isn’t a quick win or a speculative venture. Biodiversity Net Gain is a 30-year legal commitment—and entering this market requires strategic planning, the right guidance, and expert ecological input from the outset.

At Land & Heritage, we help you explore your options with clarity—so you can make informed decisions about your land, your legacy, and your income.

What’s involved—and where to start

Before making any commitments, it's essential to understand that BNG is not like a short-term stewardship scheme. You’ll be legally obligated to manage habitats for three decades—and that means thinking long-term.

Here’s how we guide you through the process:

1. Understand the commitment: BNG agreements require

A 30-year Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP)
A legally binding conservation covenant or Section 106 agreement
Annual reporting, habitat monitoring, and potential remedial works

We strongly recommend seeking independent legal advice, especially on ownership rights, tax implications, and future land sales. The NFU has published guidance, and we’re happy to collaborate with your solicitor to ensure clarity from day one.

2. Establish your baseline

We’ll carry out a full baseline habitat assessment of your land using the official DEFRA metric. This helps you understand:

Which habitats are most valuable (and most profitable to enhance)
Where the highest BNG unit yield can be achieved
What types of habitat creation suit your land type, location, and goals

At this stage, there’s no commitment — just clear, expert insight.

3. Choose your route to market

You have two main pathways into the BNG market:

Option 1: Register units now, sell later

Enter into a conservation covenant or Section 106 agreement
Create or enhance habitats in advance
Register your units and put them on the market for future sale
This approach generates more units (due to time-based uplift) but involves upfront cost and delayed returns

Option 2: Wait for demand, then deliver

Match with a developer looking to offset specific habitat loss
Agree a bespoke mitigation plan and enter into legal agreement via planning
No upfront cost, and income is secured at the point of agreement
This option offers greater flexibility — and is where our support is most valuable

We help landowners match with the right buyers, design suitable habitat plans, and secure legally robust agreements — with ecological credibility built in.

What are BNG Units worth?

Unit value depends on habitat type, condition, location, and market demand. Statutory Credit pricing (used as a guide by many private buyers) currently ranges from:

£42,000 to £650,000 per unit (area habitats)
£44,000 per hedgerow credit
£230,000 per watercourse credit

Let’s look at a real-world example:

1 ha of modified grassland enhanced to moderate condition broadleaf woodland could generate 3.52 BNG units
At a conservative £48,000 per unit = £168,960 gross value. After costs (including habitat creation, monitoring, contingency) = ~£135,710 net profit
Over 30 years = ~£4,500 per hectare per year—without farming or renting the land

And depending on the habitat type, BNG and agriculture can coexist—especially with low-intensity or regenerative farming methods.

What about stacking with other schemes?

The government does not allow double-counting BNG with other public-funded habitat creation schemes. For example:

Woodland funded through the Forestry Commission can’t be registered for BNG until after the funding obligations are fulfilled
However, additional enhancement (e.g., improving condition from moderate to good) can be registered for BNG

The same applies to:

Countryside Stewardship
Carbon Credits (subject to no loss of sequestration value)

BNG can be “stacked” with Nutrient Credits in catchments designated for Nutrient Neutrality—including the River Camel and areas in Somerset. We can support landowners participating in both.

How we'll help you succeed

We’ll guide you through every stage—from assessing your land’s potential to selling your units.

Our services include:

Baseline habitat surveys using the statutory DEFRA metric
Strategic advice on land suitability, habitat options, and return potential
BNG Unit calculations and forecasting
Habitat Management and Monitoring Plans
Ongoing ecological monitoring, reporting, and compliance support
Coordination with developers, planning authorities, and legal teams

And as a multidisciplinary consultancy, we can also advise on carbon credits, nutrient neutrality, and landscape management, ensuring your whole approach is joined-up and future-ready.

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Ready to explore your land's potential?

Whether you're managing a smallholding, estate, or larger land portfolio — we’ll help you understand what’s possible, what’s profitable, and what’s right for your land.

Book a BNG Landowner Consultation with our ecology team today.

Call us: 01752 545710

Email us: contact@landandheritage.com