Abstract:

Background: Biodiversity net gain (BNG) requires development to deliver a measurable improvement in biodiversity relative to the pre-development baseline after avoidance, minimization, and restoration measures have been applied. 

Review results: Drawing on the United Kingdom’s mandatory BNG regime and the United States’ wetland mitigation banking, this paper focuses on how BNG can be integrated into China’s territorial spatial planning system. It finds that the “Three Zones and Three Lines” framework, detailed planning, land-use control, paid use of state-owned construction land, and the “One Map” supervision system provide institutional interfaces for target allocation, permission control, delivery, and monitoring. Major barriers remain in technical standards, legal authorization, interdepartmental coordination, and market infrastructure. 

Suggestions: The paper proposes a “1+N” hierarchical metric linked to the Third National Land Survey, a government-regulated territorial habitat banking system and a registration mechanism for biodiversity gain entitlements, and the integration of BNG obligations into planning preparation and approval, detailed planning, land conversion, land transfer, environmental impact assessment, and full-lifecycle supervision. Together, these measures translate BNG into a measurable, enforceable, and traceable obligation within China’s territorial spatial planning system.

Key words: biodiversity net gain (BNG), territorial spatial planning, land use control, habitat banking, institutional localization