Biodiversity offsets perform poorly for both people and nature, but better approaches are available – Mancini et al (2024)

The ongoing biodiversity loss crisis has prompted worldwide interest in ensuring that new developments offset impacts upon nature through biodiversity net gain (BNG) projects, creating habitats for wild species. However, implementation of BNG projects in England favors offsets being located near new developments, in part to provide recreational benefits to local communities. We show that this approach ignores the wildlife benefits of areas where biodiversity gains could be much greater. Furthermore, we reveal that those disadvantaged communities that suffer the most degraded environments are also overlooked by current practices. A variety of alternative approaches to implementing BNG offsets are identified and assessed, including options for producing better biodiversity or improved access outcomes at no greater cost.