Biodiversity Net Gain services with Cornwall Wildlife Trust
Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is an approach to new development that aims to leave nature in a measurably better state than it was found.
Wildlife Trusts across England are working with developers on their BNG strategies or providing off-site habitat compensation. Our approach to BNG is characterised by seeking the best, additional gains for nature, participation of local communities, and desirable developments to live and work.
As Cornwall’s leading conservation charity, we bring decades of experience in habitat creation, ecological management, and long-term stewardship.
BNG sites are:
- Designed to deliver real, measurable gains for wildlife
- Created and managed by conservation professionals
- Secured through robust legal and governance arrangements
- Rooted in Cornwall’s landscapes, habitats and species
By choosing Cornwall Wildlife Trust, you’re investing in nature recovery where it matters most, while meeting your planning requirements with confidence.
'Gold standard' Biodiversity Net Gain
If done well, BNG offers a positive step forward in the way we think about development and nature in a more integrated way. That’s why we strive to deliver a ‘gold standard’ of BNG that ensures real long term gains for nature, as well as desirable developments that are home to happy and healthy communities that are connected to nature.
BNG sites are carefully planned to:
- Restore and enhance priority habitats
- Support local wildlife, including threatened species
- Deliver long-term ecological value
- Contribute to wider nature recovery across Cornwall
Lanvean Bottoms
Located near St Mawgan in north Cornwall, Lanvean Bottoms is a long-established nature reserve managed by Cornwall Wildlife Trust since 1991.
The site includes a rich mosaic of habitats, including wet woodland, lowland heathland, mixed scrub and neutral grassland, creating valuable space for wildlife and supporting wider nature recovery across the landscape.
Through Biodiversity Net Gain investment, we're working to retain, restore, and enhance these habitats for the long term, helping deliver meaningful benefits for nature, climate resilience, and ecological connectivity in Cornwall.
Additional land purchased adjacent to the reserve in 2019 also provides opportunities for future habitat expansion and landscape-scale restoration.
Lanvean Bottoms is secured through a Conservation Covenant and is on the national Biodiversity Gain Site Register, helping ensure long-term management and ecological integrity.
© Jon Hawkins - Surrey Hills Photography
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We go beyond the minimum 10% and strive to deliver at least 20% Biodiversity Net Gain in our habitat banks.
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We strategically target our BNG at Local Nature Recovery Strategies as part of a bigger picture of nature’s recovery.
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We secure our habitat banks beyond the mandatory 30 years, making sure BNG is in perpetuity, and additional to existing mechanisms, funding, and initiatives.
MARK MONK-TERRY/Sussex Wildlife Trust
Our habitat bank of biodiversity units: Lanvean Bottom
Our habitat bank supplies offsite biodiversity units for Local Planning Authorities and developers to meet BNG requirements and enhance nature.
Our first site, Lanvean Bottom in north Cornwall, features habitats including wet woodland, lowland heath, mixed scrub and neutral grassland — delivering diverse BNG units that support long-term restoration and ecological resilience.
Biodiversity Net Gain explained
What is Biodiversity Net Gain?
Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is a land management approach designed to achieve measurable improvements for nature by creating or enhancing habitats such as wildlife areas, rivers, streams, and hedgerows, often in connection with new developments. These biodiversity improvements must be "additional," meaning that new projects should leave nature in a better condition than before.
The Wildlife Trusts have played a key role in shaping BNG for over a decade, starting from early efforts in 2012 to measure and offset biodiversity loss due to development. They have been instrumental in testing and refining the Defra metric and advocating for strong BNG commitments in legislation. At a local level, Wildlife Trusts have influenced the inclusion of BNG policies in local plans and promoted voluntary adoption of BNG. Recently, many Wildlife Trusts have also positioned themselves as providers of high-quality habitats to support BNG initiatives.
Why is Cornwall Wildlife Trust engaging in BNG?
If done well, BNG offers a positive step forward in the way we think about development and nature in a more integrated way. It also offers new ways to fund and implement nature’s recovery, raising money from the sales of biodiversity units to reinvest in nature’s recovery and making sure biodiversity is at the heart of the planning process, and with a long term plan.
What BNG services does Cornwall Wildlife Trust offer?
Through offering high-integrity habitat banks in Cornwall, Cornwall Wildlife Trust is helping developers meet Biodiversity Net Gain requirements while supporting long-term nature recovery.
Our services include:
- Off-site Biodiversity Net Gain units
- Habitat bank development and delivery
- Long-term habitat creation and restoration
- Ecological management and monitoring
- Strategic nature recovery projects
- Partnership working with developers and landowners
- Conservation covenant-backed habitat security
- Access to ecological expertise through the wider Wildlife Trust network
Our approach focuses on creating and enhancing habitats that deliver meaningful, lasting benefits for wildlife, climate resilience, and local communities across Cornwall.
Does Biodiversity Net Gain have to be delivered on the site of a new development?
There are three ways in which BNG can be delivered:
- Firstly, through on-site enhancement and restoration of biodiversity (within the red line boundary of a development site).
- Secondly, if all of the BNG cannot be delivered on site , off-site biodiversity gains can be considered. This can either be on land owned by the developer, outside of the development site, or through buying off-site biodiversity units.
- Finally, if developers cannot achieve on-site or off-site BNG, they must buy statutory biodiversity credits from the government. This should be considered a last resort.
All three methods can be used, however they must be considered in order.
All habitats created for BNG must be managed and monitored for 30 years to achieve and demonstrate the planned uplift. When delivering BNG on-site developers must carefully consider how the BNG gains can be managed, monitored, and protected (e.g., ensuring these areas will not be needed for future development) over the 30 years. When considering on-site gains it is also very important to consider how additional on-site pressures, for example from increased footfall, dog walkers, and other human usage, can be balanced and accounted for within the planned uplift.
What are the legal requirements for offsite Biodiversity Net Gain?
The delivery of off-site Biodiversity Net-Gain must be secured with a comprehensive Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP) and legal agreement. The legal agreement can either be in the form of a Section 106 (S106) with the Local Planning Authority or through a Conservation Covenant with a Responsible Body. Once the HMMP and legal agreement are in place, the off-site BNG must then be registered on Natural England’s BNG register, that opened in February 2024. Once the site is registered BNG units can be sold and included within planning permissions.