A proposal to reduce regulations for U.K. homebuilders would have a devastating effect on the environment, new research suggests.
What's happening?
In an effort to build more houses in the United Kingdom, the Labour Party wants to reduce environmental regulations placed on certain homebuilders.
The Guardian reports that, under the proposal, developers who build homes on lots smaller than 2.5 acres would no longer have to replace any nature they destroy during the process.
Research indicates that an estimated 97% of homebuilding planning approvals would fall under this exemption, meaning that roughly 500,000 acres could be developed without any new nature being planted.
Currently, de minimis exemptions exist, stating that homebuilders don't need to replace nature if their site is less than 269 square feet or if it doesn't impact protected habitats. But those exemptions can be self-declared, and the number of such exemptions increased in 2024.
"The scale of misuse across different sizes of planning applications suggests the de minimis exemption may be being intentionally misinterpreted," The Lifescape Project states.
Why is this concerning?
The current regulations, stating that destroyed nature must be replaced, are part of a set of biodiversity net gain rules. These rules mandate that developers must contribute 10% toward the U.K.'s net gain of biodiversity by improving nature on their building sites, enhancing habitats off-site, or purchasing biodiversity credits from the government.
The U.K. is, by many accounts, one of the world's most nature-depleted countries. Roughly 1 in 6 species in the country is at risk of becoming extinct.
To rectify that, it pledged to protect nearly one-third of its land and water for nature by 2030 and put in place rules such as biodiversity net gain.
But dropping environmentally friendly legislation would be a huge step backward, critics say.
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Definitely 👍 "Biodiversity net gain is a hugely important principle: Industries that harm nature should contribute to its recovery," Richard Benwell of Wildlife and Countryside Link told The Guardian. "The proposal to drastically widen the number of exempt small sites from the system would be a return to the bad old days of damaging development."
What can I do to help?
Biodiversity net gain doesn't have to be simply a government-led mandate. It's something that everyone can participate in, no matter where you live.
Rewilding your yard or switching to a natural lawn can boost your local ecosystem, providing a better home for native plants and pollinators while also reducing the amount of water you use.
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