Compliance

UK environmental frameworks field records can sit beside

A practical overview of the regulations and standards UK teams already work to. JoinEcoGrow keeps photos, location, notes and reviewer status together. It is not a statutory calculator, a certified survey, or a substitute for accredited advice.

Statutory frameworks

The UK statutes that drive most of the new evidence and reporting expectations on councils and public bodies for trees and green assets.

England — statutory since 12 February 2024

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

Most planning applications in England must now demonstrate at least a 10% net gain in biodiversity over the pre-development baseline, measured against the DEFRA Statutory Biodiversity Metric, and maintained for a minimum of 30 years.

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

Structured tree and habitat records a consultant can attach to a baseline or monitoring visit
Time-stamped, GPS-linked photos and condition notes for the 30-year monitoring period
Reviewer-friendly exports. The Statutory Biodiversity Metric is still calculated by accredited professionals

Reference: Defra: Statutory biodiversity metric

Wales — applies to all public authorities

Section 6 — Environment (Wales) Act 2016

Welsh public bodies have a statutory duty to "seek to maintain and enhance biodiversity" in the exercise of their functions, and must publish a plan and report on actions every three years.

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

Site photos, notes and reviewer status a public body can include in its own Section 6 evidence
Per-site condition history across repeat visits
Welsh public-body context only. No named authority is a customer

Reference: Welsh Government: Section 6 duty guidance

England — sets the wider statutory framework

Environment Act 2021

Establishes legally binding environmental targets, the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), and the requirements that councils now meet through BNG, Local Nature Recovery Strategies, and Species Conservation Strategies.

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

The same field photos, location and notes can be reused when a team reports under related duties
Visible reviewer status and source photos. JoinEcoGrow is not an OEP filing

Reference: Defra: Environment Act 2021 guide

England — every "responsible authority" (council/combined authority) produces one

Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS)

LNRSs map current habitats and identify the most important opportunities for nature recovery in a local area. They feed BNG, planning decisions, and how councils prioritise green-asset investment.

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

Site-level tree and green-asset records with photo, location and notes
Exports a responsible authority could choose to use as supporting material
JoinEcoGrow is not an LNRS habitat map

Reference: Natural England: Local Nature Recovery Strategies

Industry standards and methodologies

The non-statutory standards UK arboriculturists and tree officers actually work with day-to-day.

UK — "Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction"

BS 5837:2012

The British Standard used in essentially every planning application that involves trees: defines tree categorisation (A/B/C/U), Root Protection Areas, Arboricultural Impact Assessments, and method statements.

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

Photo, location, taped diameter and height, and a condition note on the tree
Evidence a qualified arboriculturist can reference in a constraints plan or AIA
JoinEcoGrow is not a BS 5837 survey and it does not assign A/B/C/U categories or root protection areas

UK — Capital Asset Value for Amenity Trees (LTOA / endorsed by LGA)

CAVAT

A widely adopted method for valuing trees as council capital assets — used in compensation claims, asset registers, and to support the case for green-asset investment.

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

Field measurements and condition notes an assessor may use as inputs
Repeat visits that show change over time
JoinEcoGrow is not a CAVAT calculator and it does not produce a council asset valuation

Reference: London Tree Officers Association: CAVAT

International — used widely across UK city tree strategies

i-Tree

A suite of tools (i-Tree Eco, i-Tree Canopy) that quantifies the environmental and economic benefits of trees: carbon storage, air-pollutant removal, stormwater attenuation, and amenity value.

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

Photo and measurement fields a team might later enter into i-Tree
Condition notes captured with the record
JoinEcoGrow is not an i-Tree assessment. Carbon figures from photographs are estimates, not i-Tree outputs

Reference: i-Tree tools

Nature finance and biodiversity credit frameworks

The international frameworks driving demand for provenance-backed biodiversity evidence. JoinEcoGrow provides the MRV infrastructure layer — not the reporting tool, not the credit issuer.

Global — 733 organisations, 56 countries, $22.4T AUM

TNFD (Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures)

The TNFD provides a framework for organisations to assess, manage, and disclose their nature-related dependencies, impacts, risks, and opportunities. In November 2025 the ISSB decided to standard-set drawing on the TNFD framework, and in April 2026 agreed to propose an IFRS Practice Statement rather than a standard, with due process still under discussion.

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

Darwin Core-standardised records with provenance metadata that can support TNFD LEAP-aligned nature reporting
SHA-256 content provenance, reviewer identity, and GPS accuracy on every record
JoinEcoGrow is not a TNFD reporting tool — it produces the auditable evidence trail that underpins disclosure

Reference: TNFD: ISSB decision on nature standard

Global — HLP 9: MRV with scientific rigour and public audit

Biodiversity Credit Alliance — High-Level Principles

The Biodiversity Credit Alliance requires that biodiversity credits be supported by robust monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) with scientific rigour, transparency, and public audit availability.

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

SHA-256 content provenance on every photo — verifiable by any third party
Two-person review with no self-approval, enforced at the database level
Darwin Core Archive export with EML metadata — the standards-compliant evidence package
JoinEcoGrow does not issue credits — it provides the MRV infrastructure layer

Reference: BCA High-Level Principles

UK — BNG mandatory for NSIPs from 2 November 2026

BNG for NSIPs + BSI Flex 702

Biodiversity Net Gain becomes mandatory for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects from 2 November 2026 under Schedule 15 of the Environment Act 2021. BSI Flex 702 v1.0 (October 2024) was released for adoption in March 2026 with Defra support. The NAO found "no standardised, national approach to verifying or recording the verification of biodiversity gains."

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

Provenance-backed records with SHA-256 hashing and two-person review — the evidence base BNG monitoring requires
30-year monitoring support via immutable locked records with versioned identifications
JoinEcoGrow is not a BNG metric calculator — it is the evidence infrastructure

Reference: NAO: Implementing statutory BNG

JoinEcoGrow supports record-keeping, not statutory advice.

JoinEcoGrow provides structured workflows and reviewer-friendly outputs aligned with the frameworks above. Formal statutory advice on biodiversity, planning conditions, BS 5837 categorisation, BNG metric calculations, or environmental reporting must continue to come from accredited ecology consultants, qualified arboriculturists, and your council's planning and sustainability officers.

Next step

Talk through how this maps to your team

A 15-minute briefing covers your specific BNG, Section 6, or LNRS context.

Book a 15-minute briefing

Statutory frameworks

The UK statutes that drive most of the new evidence and reporting expectations on councils and public bodies for trees and green assets.

England — statutory since 12 February 2024

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

Structured tree and habitat records a consultant can attach to a baseline or monitoring visit
Time-stamped, GPS-linked photos and condition notes for the 30-year monitoring period
Reviewer-friendly exports. The Statutory Biodiversity Metric is still calculated by accredited professionals

Reference: Defra: Statutory biodiversity metric

Wales — applies to all public authorities

Section 6 — Environment (Wales) Act 2016

Welsh public bodies have a statutory duty to "seek to maintain and enhance biodiversity" in the exercise of their functions, and must publish a plan and report on actions every three years.

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

Site photos, notes and reviewer status a public body can include in its own Section 6 evidence
Per-site condition history across repeat visits
Welsh public-body context only. No named authority is a customer

Reference: Welsh Government: Section 6 duty guidance

England — sets the wider statutory framework

Environment Act 2021

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

The same field photos, location and notes can be reused when a team reports under related duties
Visible reviewer status and source photos. JoinEcoGrow is not an OEP filing

Reference: Defra: Environment Act 2021 guide

England — every "responsible authority" (council/combined authority) produces one

Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS)

LNRSs map current habitats and identify the most important opportunities for nature recovery in a local area. They feed BNG, planning decisions, and how councils prioritise green-asset investment.

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

Site-level tree and green-asset records with photo, location and notes
Exports a responsible authority could choose to use as supporting material
JoinEcoGrow is not an LNRS habitat map

Reference: Natural England: Local Nature Recovery Strategies

Industry standards and methodologies

The non-statutory standards UK arboriculturists and tree officers actually work with day-to-day.

UK — "Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction"

BS 5837:2012

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

Photo, location, taped diameter and height, and a condition note on the tree
Evidence a qualified arboriculturist can reference in a constraints plan or AIA
JoinEcoGrow is not a BS 5837 survey and it does not assign A/B/C/U categories or root protection areas

UK — Capital Asset Value for Amenity Trees (LTOA / endorsed by LGA)

CAVAT

A widely adopted method for valuing trees as council capital assets — used in compensation claims, asset registers, and to support the case for green-asset investment.

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

Field measurements and condition notes an assessor may use as inputs
Repeat visits that show change over time
JoinEcoGrow is not a CAVAT calculator and it does not produce a council asset valuation

Reference: London Tree Officers Association: CAVAT

International — used widely across UK city tree strategies

i-Tree

A suite of tools (i-Tree Eco, i-Tree Canopy) that quantifies the environmental and economic benefits of trees: carbon storage, air-pollutant removal, stormwater attenuation, and amenity value.

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

Photo and measurement fields a team might later enter into i-Tree
Condition notes captured with the record
JoinEcoGrow is not an i-Tree assessment. Carbon figures from photographs are estimates, not i-Tree outputs

Reference: i-Tree tools

Nature finance and biodiversity credit frameworks

The international frameworks driving demand for provenance-backed biodiversity evidence. JoinEcoGrow provides the MRV infrastructure layer — not the reporting tool, not the credit issuer.

Global — 733 organisations, 56 countries, $22.4T AUM

TNFD (Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures)

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

Darwin Core-standardised records with provenance metadata that can support TNFD LEAP-aligned nature reporting
SHA-256 content provenance, reviewer identity, and GPS accuracy on every record
JoinEcoGrow is not a TNFD reporting tool — it produces the auditable evidence trail that underpins disclosure

Reference: TNFD: ISSB decision on nature standard

Global — HLP 9: MRV with scientific rigour and public audit

Biodiversity Credit Alliance — High-Level Principles

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

SHA-256 content provenance on every photo — verifiable by any third party
Two-person review with no self-approval, enforced at the database level
Darwin Core Archive export with EML metadata — the standards-compliant evidence package
JoinEcoGrow does not issue credits — it provides the MRV infrastructure layer

Reference: BCA High-Level Principles

UK — BNG mandatory for NSIPs from 2 November 2026

BNG for NSIPs + BSI Flex 702

How JoinEcoGrow supports it

Provenance-backed records with SHA-256 hashing and two-person review — the evidence base BNG monitoring requires
30-year monitoring support via immutable locked records with versioned identifications
JoinEcoGrow is not a BNG metric calculator — it is the evidence infrastructure

Reference: NAO: Implementing statutory BNG