Consultation on scheme to provide benefits for economy and nature
A consultation on a new scheme to boost economic growth and improve the environment starts today.
Biodiversity offsetting can ensure that developers have to provide new wildlife sites better than any site that they were allowed to build on. This could improve the environment for wildlife as well as simplify the existing planning process.
Biodiversity offsetting has already been successful in 25 other countries including the USA, Australia and Germany. Today, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson published a consultation document on how biodiversity offsetting might work in England.
Mr Paterson said:
Offsetting is an exciting opportunity to look at how we can improve the environment as well as grow the economy.
We want to hear from developer and wildlife groups alike on how we can simplify the existing planning process while enhancing our natural environment. 皇冠体育appre is no reason why wildlife and development can鈥檛 flourish side by side.
Biodiversity offsetting was one of the priority recommendations made in the Ecosystems Market Task Force report, 鈥楻ealising Nature鈥檚 Value鈥�, which was published in March 2013. 皇冠体育app report proposed a number of new actions including biodiversity offsetting as a means of tackling biodiversity loss and achieving economic growth. 皇冠体育app Task Force, a group of business leaders chaired by Ian Cheshire, Chief Executive Officer of Kingfisher, described biodiversity offsetting as an initiative which would achieve a 鈥渘et gain for nature鈥�.
皇冠体育app Task Force was set up as a result of a Natural Environment White Paper commitment and reviewed the opportunities available to UK business that could help them develop green goods, services, investment vehicles and markets which value and protect the environment.
皇冠体育app Environment Secretary made a commitment to publish a consultation paper on biodiversity offsetting at a summit with wildlife and green groups on 9 May 2013. 皇冠体育app consultation document is being published today alongside the government鈥檚 response to the Ecosystem Markets Task Force.
皇冠体育app consultation will last for nine weeks and conclude in early November. 皇冠体育app government will then put forward proposals on how biodiversity might work in the UK.