How does post-industrial land regeneration contribute to Biodiveristy Net Gain in the UK?

恢复以前的矿场通常涉及创造栖息地，这不仅是为了减少污染物的浓度，而且是为了加强生物多样性。有人提议通过生境恢复和补偿来补偿生物多样性的损失，但很少有研究提供成功的经验证据，而且存在有效衡量采矿造成的损失和收益的技术挑战。正在出现新的进程和政策，以鼓励和执行有效的保护行动，例如根据《2021年环境法》获得的生物多样性净收益。对可衡量的生物多样性指标的评估可用于监测恢复程度和提供的附加值。在生物多样性净收益方面，需要在项目和政策层面考虑监测、报告和验证。但是，拟议的项目级管理、监测、执行和报告是否足够和可实现？该项目研究了不同恢复阶段的地点的生物多样性变异性。这包括通过生境调查和遥感测量植被结构的变化。这将提供关于栖息地分类、植被碳储存和指示植物胁迫水平的信息。营养复杂性将通过对地上和地下无脊椎动物物种的调查来衡量，包括传粉者及其与自然资本评估的潜在联系。最后，将通过分析评估土壤成分(碳含量、土壤有机质含量、污染程度)和土壤结构的变化来衡量土壤健康状况的改善；以及通过遥感确定植被类型和裸地作为土壤碳储存的指标。不同恢复阶段的后工业棕地将被用来提供土壤、植物和传粉者的基线数据。对低成本补救进程的监测，如修复生态系统功能(物种建立)和启动自然恢复(将可耕种重新开垦为天然草地)，将通过监测诺森伯兰野生动物信托基金(合作伙伴)和纽卡斯尔大学农场对比管理做法下的地点在两年内的生物多样性变化来完成。主要研究差距和问题：1.生物多样性净收益监测、验证和报告方法是否充分和可实现？2.结合土壤、植物和无脊椎动物评估的遥感使用能否建立所需的证据基础数据集，以提供恢复和生物多样性收益或损失的证据？3.恢复过程和养护管理(如重新野生)是否为生物多样性净收益提供附加值？

Restoration of former mining sites usually involves habitat creation that not only aims to reduce the concentration of pollutants but also enhance biodiversity. Habitat restoration and offsets have been proposed to compensate biodiversity losses, however few studies provide empirical evidence of success, and technical challenges exist to effectively measure losses and gains owing to mining. New processes and policies are emerging to both encourage and enforce effective conservation action, such as biodiversity net gain under the 2021 Environment Act. Assessment of measurable biodiversity indicators can be used to monitor levels of recovery and added value provided. In the context of biodiversity net gain, monitoring, reporting, and validation need to be considered at project and policy level. But is the project-level management, monitoring, enforcement, and reporting proposed sufficient and achievable?This project examines biodiversity variability on sites at different stages of restoration. This includes measurements of changes in vegetation structure through habitat surveys and remote sensing. This will provide information on habitat classification, vegetation carbon storage and indication of plant stress levels. Trophic complexity will be measured through surveys of above and below ground invertebrate species, including pollinators and their potential link to natural capital assessment. Finally, soil health improvement will be measured through analytical assessment of changes in soil composition (carbon content, soil organic matter content, contamination level) and soil structure; as well as remote sensing to identify type of vegetation and bare ground as indicators of soil carbon storage over time. Well characterised post-industrial brownfield sites at different stages of restoration will be used to provide soil, plant, and pollinator baseline data. Monitoring of low-cost remediation processes, such as repairing ecosystem function (species establishment) and initiating nature recovery (rewilding arable into natural grassland) will be done through monitoring biodiversity changes over a 2-year period at sites under contrasting managed practices by Northumberland Wildlife Trust (collaborative partner) and Newcastle University Farms. Key Research Gaps and Questions:1. Are biodiversity net gain monitoring, validation and reporting methodologies sufficient and achievable?2. Can the use of remote sensing combined with soil, plant and invertebrate assessment build the evidence base dataset needed to provide evidence of restoration and biodiversity gain or loss?3. Do restoration processes and conservation management, (e.g.rewilding) provide added value on biodiversity net gain?