The Biodiversity Metric 2.0 provides a way of measuring and accounting for biodiversity losses and gains resulting from development or land management change. Biodiversity Metric 2.0 updates and replaces the original Defra biodiversity metric. Biodiversity Metric 2.0 has been developed with input from a wide range of environmental NGOs, developers, land managers, Government agencies and other interested parties.
Biodiversity Metric 2.0 is being published as a 'beta test’ version to enable wider user feedback (see below). The metric comes with a free calculation tool designed to simplify and speed-up the whole calculation process
The Biodiversity Metric 2.0 encompasses both area (e.g. grasslands) and linear (such as rivers and streams) habitats. The metric has been expanded to ensure that common green infrastructure features are included. However, it does not yet include inter-tidal habitats. These will be added into the metric and the calculation tool later in 2019. The metric currently utilises a default approach to calculating connectivity pending publication of a connectivity tool later in 2019.
The following documents are being published to support the Biodiversity Metric 2.0:
- Biodiversity Metric 2.0: Calculation tool (spreadsheet)
- Biodiversity Metric 2.0: Calculation tool – short user guide
- Biodiversity Metric 2.0: User guide (detailed)
- Biodiversity Metric 2.0: Technical supplement (which includes habitat condition assessments)
Biodiversity Metric 2.0 can be used now. We would like feedback from users on how the metric works and how easy it and the ease of use of the tool and guidance. A summary document describing the approach used to inform Biodiversity Metric 2.0 was published in November 2018 alongside Defra’s consultation on mandatory net gain. Feedback from that publication was positive. Natural England has undertaken preliminary testing of this updated metric with selected stakeholders. We are now providing an opportunity for wider testing and feedback to help us fine-tune the metric and guidance. Please provide feedback via the survey on Citizen Space which can be found at:
Biodiversity Metric 2.0 User Survey
Results from this survey, together with any other user feedback on this test version of Biodiversity Metric 2.0, will be used to inform a further update to be published in 2020. The metric will then be periodically updated every few years.
REVISION HISTORY
- Calculation Tool and Technical Supplement updated (07/08/19) to address Calaminarian grassland and vegetated shingle errors
- We are also aware of an off-site calculation issue with the tool when displaying some detailed and headline off-site results. We will release an updated version of the calculation tool to fix this issue later in the month. CORRECTED VERSION UPLOADED (09/08/19)
- The text in the user guide was erroneously referring to Rule 5 when it should have stated 'Rule 3’. Text corrected. CORRECTED VERSION UPLOADED (21/08/19)
- Calculation error corrected on p.70 Table TS2-14 of the Technical Supplement CORRECTED VERSION UPLOADED (21/08/19)