Biodiversity
Biodiversity is described by the Cambridge Dictionary as ‘the number and types of plants and animals that exist in a particular area or in the world generally, or the problem of protecting this’.
West Suffolk Council has a responsibility to protect and enhance biodiversity under our biodiversity duty.
Biodiversity duty
Biodiversity duty is a legal requirement for public authorities in England, introduced by the Environment Act 2021. It means that councils and other public bodies must:
- think about how their work can help protect and improve nature
- set goals and policies to support biodiversity
- take action to meet those goals.
The aim is to make sure that biodiversity is considered in everyday decisions and operations, helping to restore and protect the natural environment.
From January 2025, West Suffolk Council has committed to producing an annual report to document the policies and actions that we have carried out to comply with our biodiversity duty, acting as a document to communicate what the organisation has done to improve the environment.
Read the 2025 Biodiversity Duty Report
Biodiversity net gain
The Environment Act 2021 mandates a minimum 10 per cent biodiversity net gain (BNG) which was implemented in spring 2024. Biodiversity net gain is a legislative requirement, with the detail of how it is implemented set out in regulations and accompanying guidance.
Biodiversity net gain is calculated using the statutory metric and a biodiversity gain plan, submitted prior to the commencement of any development and setting out how a development will deliver the biodiversity gain objective. However, guidance is clear that it is important for net gain to be considered throughout the planning process.
The local planning authority (LPA) considers BNG on each planning application they receive to ensure that any application without a valid exemption is achieving gains in line with up-to-date government guidance and Policy SP8 of the West Suffolk Local Plan 2024 to 2041.
Find current guidance for biodiversity net gain at: GOV.UK - Meet biodiversity net gain requirements: steps for developers.
Since implementation of BNG, any approved biodiversity net gains have been processed to record the habitat types approved for creation or enhancement: GOV.UK - Biodiversity Gain Plans
Read the 2025 biodiversity gains in West Suffolk datasheet: Biodiversity duty: biodiversity net gain information.
If you have any questions relating to biodiversity or biodiversity net gains (BNG) please contact ecologyandlandscape@westsuffolk.gov.uk