Get paid to grow nature on your land

By law, new building projects in England must leave nature better off than before. When builders cannot do that on their own site, they must pay a landowner to create or improve wildlife habitat elsewhere, such as a wildflower meadow, hedgerows or a wood. Each bit of habitat earns "units" that the builder buys.

You keep owning the land and can often still use it. You agree to look after the habitat for 30 years, and you get paid for it. The rule has applied to almost all new developments since February 2024 and requires at least 10% more nature. From 2 November 2026 it also covers nationally significant infrastructure projects.

Source: gov.uk/guidance/sell-biodiversity-units-as-a-land-manager

Estimates only: indicative recent market prices from the biodiversityunits.com July 2026 report. These are not offers. A hectare typically produces a few units. Prices must cover 30 years of habitat management, so your real return depends on your costs and your survey. Land close to the development is worth more to the buyer.

1. Register: tell us about your field. We give you a rough estimate, clearly labelled as one.
2. Survey: a partner ecologist measures your land with the official statutory biodiversity metric and works out how many units you could create.
3. Secure: you sign a 30-year conservation covenant or section 106 agreement, agree a habitat management plan, and register the site with Natural England.
4. Match: we match your units with local developers whose planning applications need them.
5. Sell: you sell the units, then create and manage the habitat under your plan.

• Every answer below links to the official GOV.UK, Defra or HMRC source it comes from.
• Units are measured by a qualified ecologist using the government's statutory biodiversity metric, and sites are registered with Natural England on the public biodiversity gain sites register.
• No fee unless you sell, and our fee is invoiced only after you are paid.
• All prices and earnings on this page are labelled as estimates. We use public data only.
• Run by Tim Johnson as part of the Staniforth Planning Desk, a local planning service for the East Midlands.

Yes. The legal agreement (a conservation covenant with a responsible body, or a section 106 planning obligation with the council) must secure the habitat for at least 30 years. For off-site sites, the 30 years runs from when the habitat works are completed, so the total period can be longer. The agreement is registered as a local land charge and binds future owners, including buyers and heirs. You should get legal advice before signing, and you pay your own legal costs.

Sources: gov.uk/guidance/enter-a-legal-agreement-for-biodiversity-net-gain · gov.uk/guidance/getting-and-using-a-conservation-covenant-agreement

Yes, but you need the landowner's agreement. Defra says tenants can sell units with the landlord's agreement, and landlords need affected tenants' agreement. You can only enter a BNG agreement alone if your lease is at least as long as the agreement; otherwise the freeholder must be included. Registering someone else's land needs their signed, dated written consent. How the income is split between landlord and tenant is a matter for negotiation and advice.

Sources: defraenvironment.blog.gov.uk/2023/11/15/biodiversity-net-gain-for-land-managers-step-by-step-flowcharts/ · gov.uk/guidance/sell-biodiversity-units-as-a-land-manager

Government guidance does not deal with this directly, so we will not guess. A 30-year binding obligation may affect the land's value, and many mortgage deeds require lender consent before burdening the land. Check your mortgage terms and ask your solicitor and lender early.

Sources: gov.uk/guidance/enter-a-legal-agreement-for-biodiversity-net-gain

Income tax: HMRC's ecosystem services technical note (May 2026) says BNG receipts are taxable and will normally be income of a trade, often your existing farming trade. VAT: BNG units sold by a VAT-registered person are standard-rated. Inheritance tax: since 6 April 2025, agricultural property relief can extend to land managed under an environmental agreement with a public body, council or approved responsible body, provided the land was agricultural for at least 2 years before the change of use. The value relieved is restricted to existing-use value. The wider APR/BPR reforms from April 2026 also apply. Tax depends on your circumstances, so take advice from your accountant or a rural tax specialist.

Sources: gov.uk/government/publications/ecosystem-services-technical-note/technical-note-on-ecosystem-services · gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-environmental-land-management · gov.uk/government/publications/agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief-reforms/summary-of-reforms-to-agricultural-property-relief-and-business-property-relief

Often yes, but never paid twice for the same thing. You cannot sell an enhancement already funded by an agri-environment scheme as a biodiversity unit. You can add further enhancements on top: count what your SFI, CS, ES or Landscape Recovery agreement will achieve in your baseline, and sell only units from new work. SFI26 rules allow land in other schemes only where activities are compatible and there is no double funding. You can also stack BNG with nutrient credits from the same land. Basic Payment Scheme recipients can still take part.

Sources: gov.uk/guidance/combining-environmental-payments-biodiversity-net-gain-bng-and-nutrient-mitigation · gov.uk/government/publications/sustainable-farming-incentive-2026-sfi26/sfi26-scheme-rules-and-guidance

A qualified ecologist surveys the land and calculates units with the statutory biodiversity metric, and usually helps write the habitat management and monitoring plan. The landowner normally pays. Published local prices start from about £500 + VAT, and one firm quotes £1,200–1,600 per assessment; bigger sites cost more (estimates from published prices). These costs, plus Natural England's £639 registration fee and £45 per allocation, should be built into your unit price.

Sources: gov.uk/guidance/sell-biodiversity-units-as-a-land-manager · gov.uk/guidance/register-a-biodiversity-gain-site

This is set in your legal agreement and habitat management and monitoring plan, agreed with the council or responsible body. It includes a monitoring schedule, access to the land, and reporting on habitat condition over the 30 years. There is no single national schedule; the frequency is agreed site by site. Monitoring costs are often funded by a fee in the agreement.

Sources: gov.uk/guidance/creating-a-habitat-management-and-monitoring-plan-for-bng · gov.uk/guidance/enter-a-legal-agreement-for-biodiversity-net-gain

Prices and terms are agreed privately between you and the buyer. Government guidance says payment can be a lump sum, staged, or by results. Developers often will not complete until their biodiversity gain plan is likely to be approved. Off-site BNG is a private market and there is no guarantee of a buyer. Our 5% fee is invoiced only after you are paid.

Sources: gov.uk/guidance/sell-biodiversity-units-as-a-land-manager

You, as landowner, are legally responsible for reaching the target condition. Your agreement must set out what you will do if things do not go to plan and what enforcement action the council or responsible body can take. Build remedial work and insurance into your price, and read these clauses carefully with your solicitor.

Sources: gov.uk/guidance/enter-a-legal-agreement-for-biodiversity-net-gain · gov.uk/guidance/sell-biodiversity-units-as-a-land-manager

Not as before on the habitat area, but many habitats need management, and grazing, hay cutting or hedge work can be part of the plan if it is written into your habitat management plan. Anything that harms the target habitat would breach the agreement. Defra notes BNG can sit alongside farming, often on land that is less productive. Agree the details with your ecologist before signing.

Sources: gov.uk/guidance/sell-biodiversity-units-as-a-land-manager

There is no minimum for a gain site. Since August 2026 small developments of 0.2 ha or less are exempt from BNG, which reduces demand from the smallest schemes. Some sites may also need a screening decision before registration.

Sources: gov.uk/guidance/sell-biodiversity-units-as-a-land-manager