This document sets out a proposed method for carrying out condition assessments in England to support biodiversity net gain (BNG) assessments. The aim is to standardise the approach to carrying out condition assessments to aid repeatability and replicability. This will ensure that ecologists and regulators can be confident that condition assessments have been carried out to a consistent and appropriate standard.
It will also facilitate data sharing and scrutiny by providing a standard set of variables to record in the field and a standard way to store and share these data.
The philosophy here is: collect data first, assess condition second.
There is danger in trying to decide whether a criterion is passed or failed in real time in the absence of objective data (quantified where possible). It is better to collect data on which to base an assessment. Where possible, this could be automated based on the data, but it may require a more nuanced judgement based on experience.