In this article, Shashin Mishra, VP of EMEA at AiDash, discusses how AI technology is closing the skills gap, improving mapping accuracy, freeing ecologists to focus on high-value tasks, and ultimately Find out how we can help you successfully implement BNG.
The mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) was welcomed across the UK in the hope of revitalizing the country's severely diminished nature and wildlife.
To reverse decades of ecological damage while enabling and enabling sustainable development, BNG must be successfully implemented from the beginning.
The compulsory 10% on new development is an important step towards restoring nature and it is vital that we get it right.
Concerns have been raised about its feasibility. Complying with new laws is a massive undertaking.
The industry is at a disadvantage in terms of viability, resources and costs.
Issues such as feasibility, resources, cost, efficiency, accuracy, and reliability are holding the industry at a disadvantage and jeopardizing the feasibility of fully functional systems.
UK developers face the difficult and costly challenge of accessing appropriate and timely expertise and support against a backdrop of chronic skills shortages.
Ecologists, developers, planners, architects and local governments are all feeling the pressure to deliver BNG at the scale and speed needed.
This can only be achieved by adopting practical and modern solutions. Innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and satellites are essential to solving the speed, scale and resource challenges that threaten BNG's success.
Challenge: Lack of skills
There is a worrying shortage of qualified ecologists to carry out the necessary work.
Around 150,000 BNG projects are expected to be submitted each year, and the UK will need 40% more ecologists – between 4,000 and 6,000 experts – to meet this demand, says iDash is estimated.
This shortfall was highlighted in a DEFRA study commissioned to assess the resources needed to implement BNG.
337 of 192 planning authorities (LPAs) surveyed said current ecological resources are sufficient to thoroughly assess all uses that could impact biodiversity. Only 5% of respondents did.
More than 90% said they lacked the capacity and minimal or non-existent resources to adequately deliver BNG.
Lack of resources and expertise to evaluate BNGs can result in failure to comply with new legislation or in the creation of BNG plans that do not actually meet the requirements.
BNG requires mapping habitats with high locational accuracy and often relies on ground-based ecological surveys. However, this process is not only time-consuming and costly, but also often impractical.
For example, certain habitats are inaccessible by foot, while others are too large to be accurately mapped using traditional methods.
The expansive nature of certain habitats can make it difficult to accurately estimate range during field assessments, and boundaries can be inaccurately mapped without appropriate features.
Furthermore, data inconsistencies can occur in large projects undertaken by ecologists with time and resource constraints. Errors in the early stages of biodiversity baseline setting can lead to larger errors in final measurements, compromising the quality of the initial survey.
How AI and technology can help
AI can fill this skills gap, turning weeks of work into days, and allowing ecologists to vastly improve the quantity and quality of their output.
As a valuable time-saving tool, AI can reduce the administrative burden faced by ecologists, allowing them to focus on high-value tasks and decisions that only experienced ecologists can perform.
AI and satellite imagery allow us to update maps more frequently, adapt to habitat changes, and access remote and inaccessible areas.
Additionally, AI provides an efficient way to map habitats at scale, providing accurate real-time insights that can track changes in biodiversity and inform adaptive management strategies. .
Over the past 20 years, an average of around 187,000 new homes have been built in the UK each year. Supporting ecologists to manage their workload and spend time on the tasks that matter most, as the government aims to increase this to 300,000 homes a year, with thousands more commercial developments underway By doing so, we can accelerate the project schedule and ensure that every household receives 10% BNG. project.
Problem: Insufficient amount and quality of data
BNG is a complex process that requires the collection of specific data. Habitat mapping forms baseline data, so any inaccuracies at this stage risk compromising net benefit calculations from the start.
Complying with new regulations is a daunting task, and with limited resources, the importance of ensuring research accuracy can be overlooked.
Free tools are available to build these maps, but they lack the necessary detail and consistency with DEFRA's BNG definition.
Even small discrepancies can lead to development projects proceeding without sufficient consideration of impacts on habitats and species, resulting in the implementation of biodiversity strategies that later fail to achieve the required net benefits. there is.
Traditional approaches to habitat mapping require independent decisions by ecologists in the field, often yielding different results due to subjectivity, even when the same location is surveyed simultaneously.
Enhancing ecosystem mapping with technology: AI and satellite solutions
While terrestrial mapping remains essential for ecologists, technology can save valuable time by processing vast amounts of data quickly and monitoring large-scale changes.
This ensures that there are no gaps between every square meter. AI’s standardized methodology accurately defines habitat boundaries, eliminating inherent bias and divergent interpretations.
Additionally, satellite imagery offers a solution that significantly improves accuracy, boasting 460 times higher resolution than free maps.
Satellite data can not only produce high-precision preliminary maps that can be used to assess potential sites early on, but also to map dynamic, rapidly changing habitats, where traditional mapping cannot capture such fluctuations. You can also track areas where you may not be able to.
Habitat maps serve as the backbone of BNG projects, but the complexity of habitats often creates challenges for classification.
By leveraging AI and satellite technology, a single point of truth can be established, facilitating the development of impactful biodiversity plans.
AI acts as a tool, working alongside ecologists to complement and enhance their important work.
Integrating AI and satellite technology to create habitat maps to quickly and efficiently assess large areas, address skills shortages, and ensure accurate data, aligned with the new BNG framework becomes possible.
