Nature Impact

Denmark

Building industry

Knowledge development

Biodiversity Net Gain – Lessons from England for a Danish Model

Partner

Planetary Responsibility Foundation, Green Finance Institute Denmark, Oiko

Services

Resource Dependency & Value Chain Assessments

The Project

England has made it mandatory for developers to leave nature measurably better than they found it. This report examines how the system works in practice, where implementation challenges remain, and what a Danish equivalent could look like.

Key Findings

England's BNG model works, but implementation remains challenging

Since February 2024, most new construction in England must deliver a 10% measurable improvement in biodiversity against the pre-development baseline - first on-site, then locally off-site, and only as a last resort through national biodiversity credits. Eleven months in, 40 projects were registered in the national off-site register, far below the 6,700 hectares of annual off-site habitat projected by the government. Local planning authorities are under-resourced, the credit market remains immature, and tax treatment for nature providers is unresolved.

Denmark has the measurement tools, but not the regulation

UrbanBioScore - developed with Aarhus University and modelled on the English Biodiversity Metric - provides a freely available, nationally applicable method for measuring biodiversity in urban areas. It is already used by municipalities, investors and advisors, and was included in the 2025 DGNB certification manual. What is missing is a shared regulatory framework that gives the metric legal weight.

Stakeholder interest exists, but shared incentives do not

Interviews across 15 organizations, including developers, municipalities, pension funds and nature organizations, show broad agreement that common regulation is needed. Several pension funds and developers are already setting voluntary BNG targets, but without a binding framework, most are waiting. Globally, 99% of biodiversity offsets occur as a result of regulation, rather than voluntary action.

A Danish BNG model requires four elements to work together

A standardized measurement method, demand from developers, a supply of nature restoration providers, and regulatory backing. The report proposes a phased roadmap - starting with pilot municipalities and voluntary certification, building toward inclusion in the Planning Act and Building Regulations, and ultimately national biodiversity legislation.

Impact

measurable biodiversity improvement required on new English developments since Feb 2024

projects registered in England's national off-site register in the first 11 months

organizations interviewed across developers, municipalities, pension funds, and nature groups

elements required for a working Danish BNG model: measurement, demand, supply, and regulation

Reports

Report

Danish

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Summary

English summary

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Contact us for more information

Anna Rex Elmgreen

Senior biology advisor

+45 22 29 00 63

are@upstream.partners

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