Site Analysis Tools for BNG

Solutions which facilitate site assessments for Biodiversity Net Gain

Nature Biodiversity and Environmental Net Gain

Problem Addressed

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) aims to safeguard and improve the well-being of natural and urban ecosystems in the UK by mitigating against the potential adverse effects of new development; seeking to ensure that the future state of these ecosystems is in a superior condition and quality than their present state. Under the Environment Act 2021, most new development in England is required to deliver a biodiversity uplift of a minimum of 10%, using the Defra biodiversity net gain metric.

Complying with this metric can be a challenge for organisations (particularly small organisations) due to the resources required to ensure compliance, including conducting a competent site survey, filling out the metric correctly and writing compliant plans.

Solution Overview

A wide range of solutions exist which can facilitate site selection for Biodiversity Net Gain. These solutions provide an easy and fast way to assess sites and produce baseline Biodiversity Unit value. Many also allow users to discover all the opportunities for sites and what possible uplift opportunities exist to allow organisations to take control of land and scenario plan more effectively. These solutions can also allow users to easily calculate baseline biodiversity units, and some allow for options testing to evaluate different BNG scenarios for a site.

UK availability

Yes

Date added

Mar, 2025

The table below includes information about many of the solutions in this area with information provided by the solution provider. Please click on the company names to see more information about each solution.

Company name	Joe’s Blooms	One Click LCA	Map Impact	Gentian
Large or small sites	Offsites	Large sites	Satellite technology utilised by BiodiversityView is better suited to large scale sites but can be applied anywhere	Large or small sites
Target clients	Anyone interested in offering offsite units	Multi-disciplinary consultancies, architects, ecologists	The core target segments consist of developers, local authorities, and landowners. Engineering consultancies and utility companies have a growing need to implement Map Impact’s environmental reporting tools	Developers, LPAs, landowners, BNG marketplaces (for buying and selling off-site units)
Input data	User data	No direct import is provided yet. Satellite, GIS, on-site ecologist data and more can be used to generate data	Derived from a variety of sources. Satellite imagery and ancillary habitat layers are validated through on-site ground truthing from ecologists	Very high-resolution imagery (up to 3 years old), GIS layers, AI trained on ecologist data
Functionality	Provides an immediate assessment of all possible BNG creation options and possible market value	Simplifies the user interface of the Metric, reduces the number of errors presented by excluding incorrect behaviours, filtering of target habitats for enhancement based on trading rules	Maps over 60 habitats and their condition across England, Scotland, and Wales. An annually updated dataset offers the potential to see change when coupled with historical archived satellite imagery. End-user and decision maker has instant accessibility to objective baseline screening across their areas of interest	Instantly provides an accurate, completely remote BNG habitat mapping assessment, including area habitats, linear features, and biodiversity unit calculations. Can detect the most widespread metric habitats and priority habitats
Baseline biodiversity unit suggestions	Yes, the tool creates baseline biodiversity unit suggestions for site	Tool calculates all biodiversity units that the Metric does, though there are no ‘suggestions’ provided yet	Yes, baseline biodiversity units aligning with the DEFRA Metric form part of the technology’s output	Yes, the tool calculates the baseline biodiversity units, but does not suggest new units that can be created
Options testing	Yes, the tool allows users to test different BNG options on a site and see the biodiversity units that would be created	Yes, users can add multiple designs to each project and compare the % change in units for each type directly on the results page without needing multiple tabs open	Not at present. BNG scenario planning is being explored as potential future functionality	Yes, the tool is connected to an online platform where users can do ‘scenario planning’
Output format	Data	Currently no export is provided. Looking into a Word report and potentially an Excel spreadsheet	Output type depends on customer needs. Have an API which may interest GIS specialists as well as reports and maps for decision-makers or communities	API is available for client platforms or full end-to-end interactive functionality is available via the Gentian platform. GIS files, PDF maps/reports, and spreadsheets can be downloaded
Compliance	All habitats are based on UKHAB classification. Joe’s Blooms has developed the classification tool with UKHAB	Licenced to use UKHAB habitat classification and provide a summary of the definitions for each habitat directly from either UKHAB or EUNIS. Tool does not attempt to identify habitats for users	BiodiversityView is in compliance with UKHAB Habitat Classification. Map impact are a UKHAB partner	Closely follows the biodiversity metric methodology (with some assumptions in condition assessment). Not intended to substitute the need for an ecologist
Ecologist involvement	The process makes clear that the actual offsite metric sheet must be provided by an ecologist	Up to the user. An architect / sustainability consultant / ecologist could use the tool with satellite or high-level data for early scoping, but still complete a full assessment with all the required UKHAB data	Delivers a baseline assessment to evaluate and assess land parcels before designating an on-site ecologist to complete a more rigorous site survey	Areas with a low confidence score in the mapping can be used to identify the need for an ecologist
Additional features	See further info here: https://www.joesblooms.com/joes-blooms-explore	Not at the moment. Looking for feedback about what kinds of imports/exports would be most beneficial	Developing a BNG tool to show a site’s potential for enhancement. It will show potential for a red-line boundary site in terms of current baseline habitat units, and the potential number of habitat units that could be available if the habitat and condition was deemed ‘optimal’	To levels of service are available – instant mapping (True Sight) and more detailed, fully up-to-date mapping (True Stage). Further info: https://gentian.io/

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