Environmental Benefits from Nature Tool (EBNT)
The EBNT is designed to help deliver wider benefits for people and nature from land use change. It works with Biodiversity Net Gain and alongside the Green Infrastructure Framework to provide integrated support for users looking to maximise multifunctional land use and deliver service gains that match local needs.
It aims to help users better understand the impact of proposed land use change on the services nature provides within their project area. it encourages positive change through improved consideration of nature-based services in project design and may be used to start a broader conversation (about local needs, impacts, priorities and opportunities) to help deliver the right gains in the right places.
The tool highlights the projected impact of proposed changes across 18 different ecosystem services (ranging from flood management, to cooling and shading, air quality and recreation) and displays impact over a 30-year period, highlighting the benefits that can be achieved as new habitats establish.
What is the EBN Tool?
Watch the short video below.
Using the EBN Tool
To get started users should download a copy of the tool and accompanying documents from the Natural England Access to evidence website.
Users then require:
- Information on habitat change proposed, e.g., as taken from a completed statutory biodiversity metric or similar survey/plans.
- Contextual information about the area where land use change is planned – such as flood risk zones, water availability, public access etc. This can found largely using the EBN search button in the mapping section.
Users can then complete an EBNT spreadsheet for their project. Doing so allows users to:
- Compare the project impact of different design options on services to people (for example different habitat choices/ locations).
- Gain advice on habitat measures to increase ecosystem service provision to boost multifunctionality and address local priorities (to assist the above).
- Analyse potential gains and losses and trade-offs to establish the most effective gains to address local needs.
- Obtain an estimated Urban Greening Factor value for the proposed changes.
EBN Tool Case Studies:
highlighting different uses of the tool.Opportunity Kensington -
using EBNT to support a green infrastructure plan.
Opportunity Kensington
Department for Education -
potential to enhance school environments through the EBNT green infrastructure.
Department for Education
Getting started
Watch this 18 minute video with high-level guidance on how to complete the Environmental Benefits from Nature Tool for a small and simple site.
Background to the EBNT and update functionality
Watch this one-hour deep dive video, covering background to the EBN, what it does, who it is for and how, why, where and when to use it . The video also contains summary of new functionality and the benefits to users which will be expanded on in the section below.
Become a super user
This area of the site will continue to be populated with bite-sized training videos to help users get the most from EBN support for their projects, with a focus on specific themes and assisting users on larger/more complicated sites (where contextual data is likely to vary within site).