Lessons learned
The BBOP library contains many case studies and webinars that offer lessons learned from companies and with policy related to the mitigation hierarchy.
In addition, some key lessons for policy-makers are highlighted in the Roadmap for Government:
For success with mitigation of impacts:
- Set out clear goals and targets for the desired biodiversity outcomes. Base this on national biodiversity targets and also on a loss-gain analysis that establishes the feasibility of BNG/NNL at the national, state or local levels.
- Ensure that measures are in place to improve the application of the entire mitigation hierarchy, and not simply to plan offsets, which should be the last step.
- Make available clear, consistent guidance, for certainty and to avoid delays. Remove perverse and conflicting policy signals. Establish clear roles for national, state and local government and ensure good coordination between government departments.
- Undertake adequate monitoring of performance and enforce commitments. Ensure there are good governance mechanisms and adequate budgetary provision to do so.
- Put in place clear principles and standards for mitigation measures (including offsets).
- Check that the legal and financial instruments needed to secure long-term implementation are available.
- Plan proportionate approaches, allowing for the possibility of streamlined procedures and simple baseline studies and metrics for the least significant impacts on biodiversity, with full assessments and more sophisticated metrics for more significant impacts.
- Develop and apply a realistic roadmap to develop the BNG/NNL system (see the four steps above). Prepare for implementation of the system (including checking there will be adequate supply of offsets) during the policy development phase.
- Establish and make available good baseline data, mapping and landscape level planning.
- Select good methods and avoid those that don’t deliver (e.g. poor metrics).
- Support flexibility by allowing several options for implementation of mitigation, provided the same standards are met.
- Help parties who need to find each other (e.g. those who need offsets and potential providers of offsets).