Biodiversity offsetting in England

Biodiversity offsetting ensures that when a development damages nature (and this damage cannot be avoided) new, bigger or better nature sites will be created. This consultation sets out proposals for biodiversity offsetting and how it might be introduced in England.

The consultation provides an overview of biodiversity offsetting, explores how it might operate, and introduces the key issues that would need to be addressed. We are seeking your views on biodiversity offsetting and, in particular, your ideas for how we can ensure it delivers real benefits for the environment and the economy.

This consultation is open to everyone but we are particularly interested to hear from developers, environmental organisations, ecological consultants, landowners and potential offset providers.

The objectives of this consultation are to:

• Introduce options for biodiversity offsetting in England and seek your views on them;
• Gather the evidence to come to an informed position.

The consultation closes on 7 November 2013 and we will publish a summary of responses soon afterwards.

Biodiversity offsetting was one of the recommendations of the business-led Ecosystem Markets Task Force, to which the government’s response was published on 5 September 2013.