Biodiversity officer: NJC pay and post-Environment-Act demand
A Biodiversity Officer in a local authority covers the LPA biodiversity duty (Section 40 NERC Act 2006 as amended by Environment Act 2021), validates BNG submissions on planning applications, and contributes to the LNRS (Local Nature Recovery Strategy) for the area.
The LPA biodiversity duty
Section 40 NERC Act 2006, amended by Environment Act 2021, places a strengthened biodiversity duty on public authorities (including LPAs) to consider what they can do to conserve and enhance biodiversity. The Biodiversity Officer is the in-house specialist who operationalises that duty.
BNG validation
From 2 April 2024 (major) and 1 April 2025 (minor), planning applications must demonstrate at least 10 percent biodiversity net gain measured using the Defra statutory metric. Biodiversity Officers are typically the validators of BNG submissions; the role has consequently moved from peripheral to central in LPA planning workflows.
Vs Planning CO and Ecologist
The Biodiversity Officer is distinct from a Planning Conservation Officer (heritage focus) and from a consultancy Ecologist (private-sector). Some LPAs combine the Biodiversity Officer and Nature Conservation Officer titles; others keep them separate.