Page 27 - Low Carbon Agriculture 2023

Biodiversity Net Gain:
What makes Environment Bank a net gain for farmers?
Environment Bank is looking for land upwards of 20 hectares
for ‘biodiversity uplift’, ideally old pasture or low-yielding arable
land. Payments are up to £27,000 per hectare and can be more...
“Being involved in such a ground-breaking project was important to me, as it’s one of the ways we can contribute to restoring nature and help reverse the environmental crisis.” Toby Diggens
passionate about the benefits of Habitat Bank creation than one of the first farmer’s to sign up to the programme, Toby Diggens from Devon.
“Being involved in such a ground-breaking project was important to me, as it’s one of the ways we can contribute to restoring nature and help reverse the environmental crisis,” he said.
“There are so many benefits to protecting wildlife and nature fundamentally, but this partnership also allows us to guarantee an income for the next 30 years on land which we would have to conventionally farm very hard to see any profit.”
Payments start immediately upon lease signing, and Environment Bank cover all costs for establishing and managing the Habitat Bank, extending to legal and tax advice where appropriate. Unlike other BNG schemes, you don’t have to manage the complex implementation process or take any risks of the scheme failing – that all sits with them. Payments are up to £27,000 per hectare, and can be more, and are guaranteed over a 30-year period increasing year on year.
TO FIND OUT MORE, PLEASE VISIT environmentbank.com or call
01904 202 990. You’ll also find our team at the Low Carbon Agriculture show 2023 at stand 217 this February.
Environment Bank is setting up Habitat Banks across England in response to Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) being mandated in law. This means we are leasing parcels of land throughout England to create rich biodiverse habitats. Environment Bank then use these habitats to enable organisations to meet their BNG obligations.
Since launching its award-winning Habitat Bank scheme last year, Environment Bank has seen enquiries soar, with over 60 new sites to be established in 2023. It is partnering with farmers and landowners
- including Tim Easby from North Yorkshire and Toby Diggens from Devon – establishing Habitat Banks on their land through its privately funded management scheme that guarantees an income for 30 years.
Typically, the Habitat Banks created consist of species-rich grassland, woodland, wetland, mixed scrub or rewilding sites on land where this is a significant opportunity for biodiversity uplift. They are currently looking for land upwards of 20 hectares, for example, old pasture and scrubland or underperforming arable land. They contract the management of the Habitat Bank back to the farmer or landowner, and their team of ecologists supports this, including all monitoring and reporting, throughout the full 30 year term.
Importantly, Environment Bank are not looking to take land used for food
production, and you can still produce arable crops whilst participating in a Habitat Bank creation project. Equally, your Habitat Bank could be grazed or cropped and it can sit alongside your tourism enterprise.
Speaking of the establishment of a Habitat Bank in North Yorkshire, Tim Easby said: “We are delighted to be hosting a Habitat Bank so that we can do our bit to enhance local biodiversity.
“We took ownership of this former dairy farm over 20 years ago and have begun to enhance areas for wildlife with sections of woodland planting and new hedgerows. We have always wanted to do more and Environment Bank's Habitat Bank scheme allows us to enhance large areas of our grasslands for wildlife at a scale we couldn't do before in a financially sustainable way.”
Many landowners and farmers are signing up to the scheme, and there is none more
“We have always wanted to do more and Environment Bank's Habitat Bank scheme allows us to enhance large areas of our grasslands for wildlife at a scale we couldn't do before in a financially sustainable way.” Tim Easby
Please visit environmentbank.com or call 01904 202 990
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