Biodiversity net gain (BNG)
Definition
The following organizations and documents define biodiversity net gain as...
"Net gains are additional conservation outcomes that can be achieved for the biodiversity values for which the critical habitat was designated. Net gains may be achieved through the development of a biodiversity offset." 1
IFC (2019) 1
"A goal for a development project, policy, plan or activity in which the impacts on biodiversity it causes are outweighed by measures taken to avoid and minimise the impacts, to restore affected areas and finally to offset the residual impacts, to the extent that the gain exceeds the loss." 2
BBOP (2018) 2
A goal either of no net loss or net gain of biodiversity is typically set (also referred to as net neutral and net positive goals, respectively) relative to a predetermined baseline. The process is implemented through national planning processes and negotiations between government agencies, conservation actors, and developers, with elements of the process often formalized within an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment. The mitigation hierarchy comprises four broad steps that are intended to be implemented sequentially: (1) avoiding, (2) minimizing, (3) remediating, and (4) offsetting.