Since mandatory BNG legislation came into force in February 2024, developers have been required to leave biodiversity in a measurably better state than before development began. For Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, this legislation represented more than a regulatory change. It created a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create more space for nature and achieve our 2030 goals. 

A different approach to biodiversity net gain

At the heart of our work is a simple principle: BNG should create genuinely new space for wildlife and communities, not simply monetise land that already exists for nature. 

Backed by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s 65 years of ecological expertise and local knowledge, Wild Solutions has positioned itself as a high-integrity provider focused on long-term ecological recovery rather than maximising unit sales per hectare. 

Through habitat banking, we are creating and restoring resilient habitats before biodiversity loss occurs elsewhere. These sites are designed not only to support wildlife recovery, but also to deliver wider ecosystem services including carbon sequestration, flood risk management and improved water quality, while remaining accessible for people to enjoy. 

All habitats are managed in perpetuity under the stewardship of Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, ensuring that every project contributes to the county’s long-term Nature Recovery Network. 

Leading the way in Derbyshire 

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust established the first registered habitat bank in Derbyshire, and one of the earliest in England, during 2023/24 when we set up Wild Whittington in Chesterfield. One year later, a second habitat bank followed, Common Farm in Amber Valley, significantly increasing our ability to support sustainable development across the region. 

Today, Wild Whittington supports developments stretching from Chesterfield to Leeds, while Common Farm provides strategic support for developments across southern Derbyshire and Derby City. 

Over the past three years we have: 

• Engaged with more than 150 unique BNG clients
• Produced 250 bespoke BNG packages
• Generated proposals covering more than 800 biodiversity units
• Supported housing, infrastructure, utilities, schools, factories, waterworks and community developments across the UK 

Importantly, 36% of our clients are returning customers — reflecting the trusted partnerships we have built with developers, planners, ecologists and local authorities who share our ambition to deliver meaningful environmental outcomes. 

Partnerships That Deliver for Nature 

For us, BNG has never simply been about selling units. It is about building long-term partnerships that allow development and conservation to work together effectively. 

Our collaboration with developers like Wheeldon Brothers, Chevin Homes, Jones Homes, Concertus, Henry Boot demonstrates how proactive planning and trusted relationships can create certainty for developers while ensuring habitat delivery happens in the right place for nature. By understanding future biodiversity requirements early, we can ensure suitable habitat banks and units are available at agreed prices, supporting both ecological outcomes and commercial planning. 

This collaborative approach is helping ensure more biodiversity offsetting remains within Derbyshire, rather than being displaced hundreds of miles away from the communities affected by development. 

Supporting bigger, better and more joined-up landscapes

Everything we do is underpinned by the principles set out in Sir John Lawton’s vision for nature recovery: “Bigger, Better, More and Joined Up.”

Our habitat banks are strategically guided by Derbyshire’s Nature Recovery Networks (NRNs), spatial models that identify where habitat creation can deliver the greatest ecological connectivity across the county. By targeting habitat creation in these areas, we are helping build larger, more resilient landscapes capable of supporting wildlife recovery in the long term.

This work aligns directly with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s wider rewilding strategy, which seeks to restore ecosystems to the point where nature can increasingly take care of itself. From restoring natural processes to enabling species recovery and creating landscape-scale partnerships, BNG is becoming an important tool in delivering a wilder Derbyshire.

Evidence-led conservation

A critical part of successful BNG delivery is robust monitoring and evidence gathering.

Using evidence-based ecological modelling, alongside emerging technologies such as drones and bioacoustic monitoring, we are able to demonstrate how habitats change and improve over time. This ensures transparency, accountability and confidence in the long-term success of biodiversity units.

We believe that monitoring ecosystem health, rather than focusing narrowly on individual species, is essential if BNG is to achieve its full potential nationally.

Looking ahead

The first three years of Biodiversity Net Gain have shown what is possible when legislation, science and conservation ambition align.

What we are building in Derbyshire demonstrates that large-scale conservation can help fund itself while creating meaningful benefits for wildlife, local communities and future generations.

There is still much work to do. Demand for high-integrity local units continues to grow, and our estimates suggest Derbyshire alone may require around 45 biodiversity units every year to meet local housing targets. 

But the foundations are now firmly in place, and we have 2 exiting new habitat banks in the wings from which we will be selling units later this year.

Together with our partners, clients and communities, we are proving that nature recovery can be embedded into the future of development, creating landscapes that are richer in wildlife, more resilient to climate change and better connected for people and nature alike.