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"We are habitat banking": Iford pilots national scheme for biodiversity

By W2W - 22 January 2024

The Guardian: W2W Farm pioneers in pilot scheme(https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/jan/08/flowers-everywhere-englands-ambitious-scheme-to-restore-wildlife-hangs-in-the-balance-aoe)

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Iford is one of five farms in a government pilot project for the biodiversity net gain (BNG) scheme, aiming to transform farmland into wildlife habitats. Managed by Ben Taylor, the estate has sown wildflowers across former arable land in a shift toward 'habitat banking'. Iford's wildflower meadows are to be managed under 30 year agreements; a departure from the previous short term schemes that gave nature little chance to establish a foothold.

Like many farms, Iford is a mosaic of productive and marginal land, as well as land now at risk from increased floodwaters and annual droughts. The most fertile land on the estate will still be used to grow crops but an area the equivalent to more than 40 football pitches is now being managed for wildlife. Iford is also leading the way on ground on our new scrubland creation scheme. Find out more about this project - **Nightingale 'flyways' to be restored along corridor **

Iford is one of the national pilot projects for the new biodiversity net gain (BNG) scheme, due for national roll out on Feburary 12th. Under new rules, development projects must achieve a 10% net gain in biodiversity if nature is damaged on site, potentially reshaping thousands of hectares of English farmland.

To find out more about BNG read this 'coffee break blog' on the scheme from our partner LandApp

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