Biodiversity net zero, offsetting and the conservation of wetlands

Attempts to regulate land-use in order to secure the conservation of wetlands and other valuable habitats used to be based wholly on “command-and-control” regulation, with laws telling occupiers what they could and could not do and punishments in the event of non-compliance.  In the same way as efforts to tackle climate change have made use of trading and offset schemes, conservation law has also adopted new methods based on ideas such as Payment for Ecosystem Services, Conservation Burdens and Biodiversity Net Gain.  These use the law of property and contract to create new frameworks of legal obligations for conservation, giving the private sector a much bigger role in determining what is going to happen and engaging new sources of finance.  But they also raise formidable challenges at practical and theoretical levels, such as assessing equivalence and guaranteeing land management over an extended period.  This presentation will give an overview of what has been happening and the challenges to be overcome if the new approach is to deliver real benefits for biodiversity.

This talk will be available on campus and online. 

Please contact water@dundee.ac.uk if you wish to join online.