Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust has been officially appointed as a Responsible Body by Defra, becoming only the third Wildlife Trust in the country to receive this accreditation.
The appointment, which follows accreditation in May 2025, means the Trust joins a select group of just 30 organisations across England entrusted with this important responsibility.
Arcadian Ecology & Consulting, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, has also been appointed as a Responsible Body. Together, these accreditations will strengthen the Trust’s ability to deliver long-term conservation outcomes for wildlife and habitats across the Isle of Wight and Hampshire.
As a Responsible Body, the Trust is now legally empowered to enter into legally binding conservation covenants with landowners and developers. These agreements will help protect land for nature conservation in the long term by setting out habitat improvements needed to achieve Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and ensuring these measures are upheld for generations to come.
Debbie Tann MBE, Chief Executive at Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, has said:
“Becoming a Responsible Body is a significant step forward for the Trust and for nature conservation. It means we can work directly with landowners and developers to secure legally binding commitments that protect and restore habitats in the long term.
“With nature recovery an urgent priority in this time of crisis, conservation covenants provide a powerful tool to ensure meaningful, lasting conservation outcomes.”
The government’s Biodiversity Net Gain policy requires developers to leave the natural world in a better state than before, delivering at least a 10% increase in habitat which can be achieved on-site or elsewhere. Conservation covenants offer a faster, more flexible alternative to traditional planning agreements, and crucially, they bind all future landowners to the same commitments.
John Durnell, Managing Director of Arcadian Ecology & Consulting Limited and Director of Nature-Based Solutions at Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, has said:
“We are proud that Arcadian Ecology & Consulting has been recognised by Defra as a Responsible Body. This designation gives us the ability to secure meaningful, long-term conservation outcomes in collaboration with landowners and developers.
“Conservation covenants offer a practical and robust mechanism for delivering Biodiversity Net Gain, and we’re excited to play a continued direct role in ensuring that nature recovery is embedded into land management and planning decisions across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.”
