The following research papers were key outputs from research activity supported by funding from The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
This study examines not just how much people value environmental improvements, but who they believe should benefit. Focusing on England’s Biodiversity Net Gain policy – designed to compensate for environmental damage caused by development – researchers surveyed over 3,600 people to explore public preferences for how Net Gain environmental benefits are distributed.
The results challenge the idea that areas harmed by development should always receive compensation. Most respondents did not think benefits must stay local, and often supported improvements being delivered elsewhere.
There was clear support for redistributing environmental benefits toward lower- and middle-income communities. People were willing to pay more for policies that prioritised less wealthy groups, and less for those benefiting richer areas.
Overall, the findings show that fairness matters: people care not only about environmental outcomes, but also about who gains. Incorporating these distributional preferences into policy design could increase public support and help reduce social inequalities.
This research investigates how well biodiversity offsetting policies are working in practice in England. The authors use national-scale modelling to compare current practice with alternative approaches for locating offset sites.
Under current rules, most biodiversity offsets are created near development sites to benefit local communities. The study finds that this approach often delivers poor outcomes for both wildlife and people.
The study shows that removing the requirement to keep offsets local could significantly improve biodiversity gains, often at similar or lower cost.
The research also highlights social impacts. Current policies tend to overlook disadvantaged communities with limited access to nature, while better-designed schemes could improve access and wellbeing for these groups.
Overall, the study concludes that smarter, more flexible targeting of biodiversity offsets could deliver greater environmental benefits and fairer social outcomes, helping policies better address both nature loss and inequality.