Biodiversity

What Does NPF4 Mean for Biodiversity?

Addressing the climate and nature crises is the key focus of NPF4, with the document recognising the challenges faced by the natural environment and the ongoing loss of biodiversity. In response to this, NPF4 states that nature recovery must be at the heart of future places.

There is an increased focus in NPF4 to support development that helps to secure positive effects for biodiversity. This is underpinned by Policy 1 (Tackling the Climate and Nature Crises) which gives significant weight to the to the nature crisis to ensure it is recognised as a priority in all plans and decisions making going forward.

Through Policy 3 (Biodiversity) NPF4 introduces a presumption in favour of development that protects biodiversity, reverses biodiversity loss, delivers positive effects from development, and strengthens nature networks.

Policy 3 guides Local Development Plans to promote nature recovery and nature restoration across the development plan area, including by facilitating the creation of nature networks and strengthening connections between them to support improved ecological connectivity; restoring degraded habitats or creating new habitats; and incorporating measures to increase biodiversity, including populations of priority species.

Notably, under Policy 3 all national, major or Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) development proposals will only be supported where it can be demonstrated that the proposal will conserve, restore, and enhance biodiversity, including nature networks, so they are in a demonstrably better state than they were pre-development. The policy specifies that ‘best practice assessment methods’ should be used to inform this.

Therefore, the need to provide biodiversity enhancements is now a highly important consideration across all development proposals and will require consideration in the early stages of design. The Transitional Arrangements (published 8th February 2023) recognise there is no single accepted methodology for quantifying biodiversity enhancement and confirm that research has been commissioned to explore options for developing a biodiversity metric for use in Scotland. The transitional arrangements reiterate that it is for the decision maker to take into account the policies in NPF4 as a whole when considering whether proposals which will not give rise to opportunities to contribute to the enhancement of biodiversity or not.

Key Considerations for Future Development

ƒ Development proposals will be required to contribute to the enhancement of biodiversity, including by restoring degraded habitats and building and strengthening nature networks.

ƒ Adverse impacts, including cumulative impacts, of development proposals on the natural environment will require to be minimised through careful planning and design, taking into account the need to reverse biodiversity loss.

ƒ Proposals for local development are required to include appropriate measures to conserve, restore and enhance biodiversity.