Kent Wildlife Trust and Adonis Blue Environmental Consultants (ABEC), part of the Kent Wildlife Trust Group, have both been approved by Defra as Responsible Bodies, enabling them to arrange Conservation Covenants that secure lasting benefits for nature.
Conservation Covenants are voluntary, private agreements between a landowner and a Responsible Body that legally bind land to conservation purposes, protecting its natural or heritage features regardless of future ownership. They provide a robust legal mechanism for securing long-term environmental outcomes, giving confidence that conservation commitments will be delivered and maintained over time.
The agreements can support habitat creation and restoration, help meet Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) obligations - now a legal requirement for most new developments under the Environment Act - and secure other long-term land management and ecosystem service commitments. They are legally enforceable, can be tailored to individual sites and projects, operate independently of planning permission and can be used across landscape-scale and multi-developer schemes. For BNG projects, Conservation Covenants typically remain in place for a minimum of 30 years.
Vincent Ganley, Managing Director of Adonis Blue Environmental Consultants, said:
“Investing in nature only works when that investment is targeted and sustained. As a Responsible Body, we can help landowners and developers translate their conservation ambitions into commitments that deliver meaningful, lasting benefits for nature.
“Our role is about more than establishing agreements - it’s about building the relationships and applying the expertise needed to turn those commitments into real outcomes for wildlife and biodiversity.”
For landowners, Responsible Body status provides confidence that long-term conservation commitments can be independently overseen and enforced. For developers delivering Biodiversity Net Gain under the Environment Act, Conservation Covenants offer a clear and legally robust route to securing habitat creation and ongoing management.
Paul Hadaway, Director of Conservation and Engagement at Kent Wildlife Trust, said:
"Achieving Responsible Body status is an important step for our work across the county. Conservation Covenants give us a way to work directly with landowners who want to see nature recover on their land, with the reassurance that those commitments will endure well beyond any single ownership or project.
"For us, this is about extending the reach of nature recovery beyond our own reserves and building the partnerships with landowners and developers that Kent's habitats and wildlife need to thrive."
For enquiries or further information contact Michael Griffin, Business Development Lead, Adonis Blue Environmental Consultants - [email protected]