iiE Awards: How your business can make biodiversity net-gains

Date: Tuesday 12th October, 2021
Time: 10am-11am
Award category: Natural Environmental Champion
Sponsor: BGL Group

We will explore how to measurably increase biodiversity in your outdoor space and beyond. No matter what outdoor space your business has, or none at all, you can still contribute to biodiversity! We will cover what biodiversity is and why it is important to help support local wildlife. Come along to find out how your business can support the natural wildlife in your area from creating green spaces, to planting wildflowers and much more! We will be joined by guest speakers Dr Julia Baker, Biodiversity Technical Specialist at Balfour Beatty Construction Services and Dr Nick White, Principal Advisor (Net Gain) at Natural England.

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Dr Julia Baker, Biodiversity Technical Specialist at Balfour Beatty Construction Services UK

Julia has designed and implemented Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) for a variety of infrastructure developments, including large and small scale for the transport, housing and power sectors. Julia is the lead author for the UK’s Good Practice Principles on Biodiversity Net Gain, and a co-author for the Practical Guide on BNG. She runs professional training courses on BNG and metrics, and was part of the team who developed the “small sites” biodiversity metric piloted by Natural England.

Dr Nick White, Principal Advisor (Net Gain) at Natural England

Nick works across Government (national and local), and with developers, NGOs and academia to advance policy, practice and standards around net gain (biodiversity, natural capital and environmental). The current focus of his work is on biodiversity net gain legislation, the biodiversity metric and biodiversity net gain standards and guidance. He is also working on the evolving approach to marine net gain.

As a non-ecologist, he is interested in how biodiversity and the natural environment can contribute towards wider social and economic benefits. Also, he has a strong interest in green infrastructure, especially in relation to urban areas and its ability to enhance wider (grey) infrastructure resilience.

Nick enjoys engaging with different sectors and seeking opportunities to help secure the delivery of shared outcomes. He has previously worked in the health, cultural and charitable sectors.