England's Biodiversity Net Gain Market Could Deliver 80,000 Hectares of Habitat by 2042, Nattergal Says

A new analysis from conservation company Nattergal predicts that England's Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) market could restore over 80,000 hectares of natural habitat by 2042, covering nearly a fifth of the government's legally binding nature recovery target. The market, which requires developers to offset biodiversity losses by purchasing habitat units, has grown from a single 32-hectare site in 2024 to 215 sites covering 7,410 hectares by early 2026. Nattergal says this expansion is happening without public subsidy, driven entirely by developer demand under planning rules. The BNG market is expected to reach a value of nearly 3 billion pounds by 2035, with further growth anticipated when obligations extend to major infrastructure projects in November 2026. A government rollback in December 2025 that exempted small sites has not slowed the market's trajectory. The analysis highlights that the private offset model could deliver significant environmental benefits including flood risk reduction and improved air quality at no cost to taxpayers.