Scottish Planning Biodiversity Metric - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The Scottish biodiversity metric is being developed for Scotland’s planning system, to support delivery of National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) Policy 3b.

NPF4 Policy 3b states that national and major developments, or those subject to Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), will only be supported where it can be shown that they will conserve, restore and enhance biodiversity, including nature networks, so they are in a demonstrably better state. 

Policy 3b does not specify or require use of a particular assessment approach or methodology, though the policy makes it clear that best practice assessment methods should be used. In the absence of an established Scottish assessment approach, a range of methods, including variations of England’s Statutory Biodiversity Metric (“the English metric” or “the Defra metric”), are being used to measure biodiversity at a site-level in Scotland. It is acknowledged that this lack of a standardised approach could lead to confusion and inconsistencies.

For guidance on securing positive effects for biodiversity from local development to support NPF4 Policy 3c, please refer to our Developing with Nature Guidance. 

We expect the Scottish biodiversity metric to be fully available in 2027, with a consultation planned for mid-2026 on a working draft metric tool and accompanying guidance. In the meantime, we have published Guidance on the use of existing biodiversity metrics in the Scottish planning system.

There are no plans to introduce Scottish legislation on biodiversity metrics. It is recognised that the use and application of a Scottish biodiversity planning metric will be different to the use of the English Statutory Biodiversity Metric. This reflects Scotland’s policy-led approach to delivering positive effects for biodiversity from development, which differs from England’s statutory approach. 

The Scottish biodiversity metric will be suitable for use within the Scottish planning and consenting context as a tool to inform decisions at all stages, including siting and design. It will also be suitable for use by the decision maker when determining an application. This will require the application of professional judgement on a case-by-case basis, as is the case with all planning applications. 

There are no plans to introduce a Scottish scheme for the purchase or sale of Biodiversity Credits for the Scottish planning system. 

This differs from England, where statutory biodiversity credits can be purchased as a last resort option, if the English requirement for 10% biodiversity net gain cannot be achieved through on-site or off-site measures. 

A Scottish biodiversity metric user guide will be consulted on alongside the draft tool in mid-2026 with a final version released in 2027.

NPF4 Policy 3b does not specify or require a particular assessment approach or methodology to demonstrate the delivery of positive effects for biodiversity, though the policy makes it clear that best practice assessment methods should be used.

Assessment may be qualitative or quantitative (for example through use of a metric). NatureScot’s guidance on the use of existing biodiversity metrics in the Scottish planning system explains how metric tools work. It outlines good practice on the use of biodiversity metrics in a Scottish planning context, and in an appendix of the guidance, it sets out the key differences between the main metrics that are currently publicly available – the English Statutory Biodiversity Metric and the Scottish and Southern Energy Renewables (SSER) biodiversity project toolkit.

Users may wish to be aware of these differences, as well as the research findings from the Approaches to Measuring Biodiversity in Scotland  (“The SRUC Report”). In the absence of a Scottish biodiversity metric, this will be important when considering whether to use one of the two main published metrics, which metric to use and how to interpret its outputs.  

Scottish Government guidance advises that, where a developer wishes to use an established metric or tool, the planning submission should demonstrate how Scotland’s habitats and environmental conditions have been taken into account. 

As we progress with the development of the Scottish biodiversity metric, updates will be posted on the NatureScot webpage A Biodiversity Metric for Scotland’s Planning System.

If you have any queries or comments, please email: [email protected].

NatureScot will consult on the draft Scottish biodiversity metric and user guide following release in mid-2026. The consultation will be open to all interested parties and further information will be released at the time regarding the duration of the consultation period. All feedback provided through the consultation will be considered and used to inform the development of the final metric and user guide which is expected to be published in 2027. 

In the meantime, if you have any queries or comments, please email [email protected]

Several resources have been published to date which provide an overview of biodiversity metrics within the Scottish context. 

NatureScot’s guidance on the use of existing biodiversity metrics in the Scottish planning system explains how metric tools work. 

A presentation on Planning Skills - A Biodiversity Metric for Scotland's Planning System provides a useful overview of the metric project which was originally presented at an Improvement Service event in December 2024. A recent Scottish biodiversity metric – Update October 2025 provides a brief overview of the metric development process to date and next steps.