Congratulations to Natalie Duffus, who has been commended in the University of Oxford’s Mathematical, Physical, and Life Sciences (MPLS) divisional Impact Awards. Natalie has been recognised in the Early Career Policy Impact category for raising awareness of the ecological outcomes of Biodiversity Net Gain.
Biodiversity markets are proliferating globally as countries use markets to achieve goals under the Global Biodiversity Framework. One such market is England's new biodiversity market, underpinned by Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), a policy requiring new construction projects to provide a 10% improvement to nature, measured using a simple proxy metric.
Natalie's research has demonstrated fundamental issues in the way that BNG measures biodiversity, meaning that it may not deliver optimal conservation outcomes for insects, a diverse group fulfilling a range of ecosystem functions. This work has considered the ways in which the design and implementation of BNG could be improved to secure better outcomes for nature.
She has communicated these findings with policymakers in England not only to inform future iterations of BNG and the metric, but also to inform the government's own strategy for nature recovery on its own land. Additionally, as BNG in England is looked to as a model for developing biodiversity markets in other countries, she has been communicating the findings of her work globally to international stakeholders.
BNG currently applies to almost all major developments and is expected to apply to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects from November 2025. The biodiversity market arising from BNG is expected to generate ~5000 hectares of new habitat for wildlife annually, making a significant contribution to England's nature targets. Countries around the world are looking to adopt biodiversity markets using BNG as a model, with the proxy BNG metric being adapted for use in Scotland, the USA, Saudi Arabia, India, and Oman.
Professor Martin Maiden, Head of Department, said:
“The Biology Department is delighted that Natalie’s work on biodiversity net gain has been highly commended in this year’s MPLS Impact awards. Natalie is a current DPhil student in our Ecology and Conservation section, which has an exceptionally strong record in the translation of the highest quality research into policy at the national and international level. As humanity wrestles with the 21st century problems of climate change, environmental degradation, and biodiversity loss, communication to and engagement with policy makers, such as that achieved by Natalie, is essential to guide the difficult decisions that lie ahead of us. Very many thanks and congratulations to Natalie and her colleagues for their contribution to these crucial activities.”
To read more about the MPLS Impact Award winners, visit: https://www.mpls.ox.ac.uk/latest/news/winners-and-commendations-announced-for-mpls-impact-awards-2025
