Everything you wanted to know about Voluntary Biodiversity Credits

Over half

of the world's GDP is moderately or highly dependent on nature, with a big portion of businesses relying on ecosystem services like pollination, clean water and stable climate regulation. Yet, we are losing biodiversity faster than at any point in human history.

One million species

are currently at risk of extinction, many within decades, due to human activity.

The good news is that

restoring just 15% of degraded ecosystems could prevent 60%

of expected species extinctions while sequestering up to 300 gigatonnes of CO₂. Businesses can help stop and, to some extent, reverse biodiversity loss through financing nature-based projects and making nature-positive commitments and investments. Companies that proactively address their impact on nature are better positioned to

attract new investment

and meet the growing demand from consumers and stakeholders for sustainable practices.

Voluntary Biodiversity Credits (VBCs)

offer a practical way for businesses and individuals to fund large-scale, measurable nature restoration. This FAQ explains how VBCs work, how they are different from carbon credits, and how they can support businesses’ long-term nature-positive strategies.

Any business, non-governmental organisation (NGO), or individual can purchase Voluntary Biodiversity Credits to contribute to nature restoration and support conservation efforts.

There isn't a fixed formula or ratio for the number of VBCs a business needs; it depends on your specific biodiversity goals and the scale of the impact you wish to achieve. The best way to determine your needs is to

reach out to the Earthly team

to explore options that suit your company's budget, goals and scale.

Unlike carbon emissions, there isn't a universally standardised method for businesses to directly quantify their comprehensive biodiversity footprint. However, setting biodiversity goals aligned with global targets like COP16 and your organisation's values can drive meaningful impact.

For businesses looking to understand their broader nature impact or dependencies, frameworks like the Science Based Targets for Nature (SBTN) or the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), which includes its LEAP approach, are emerging tools that can help. However, VBCs are designed to fund and support restoration initiatives that generate measurable biodiversity gains, rather than directly offsetting a company's operational impact.

When your business invests in Voluntary Biodiversity Credits, you are supporting projects that quantify their ecological uplift. These projects use recognised biodiversity metrics like the

UK Goverment approved DEFRA biodiversity net gain (BNG) metric

. Specifically, projects quantify ecological uplift by using tools such as remote sensing, environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling, and field-based ecological surveys to monitor key indicators like habitat condition, species richness, and functional diversity.

Annual purchases align with business sustainability and impact reporting cycles, demonstrating ongoing support for biodiversity. Purchasing VBCs each year also ensures continuous support for ongoing conservation and restoration efforts, allowing your company to consistently contribute to biodiversity uplift and maintain your commitment to nature-positive actions over time.

The delivery of biodiversity uplift projects is monitored using robust systems tailored to the restoration activity and ecosystem type. Techniques include remote sensing, acoustic monitoring, camera traps, eDNA analysis, and field-based ecological surveys.

For UK-based projects operating under the Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) framework, in-person monitoring is mandatory and follows a 30-year schedule, with standard reporting intervals at years 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30. The type and intensity of monitoring depend on habitat type and restoration scope.

Earthly ensures long-term accountability by:

No, VBCs are not offsets. They are a market-driven solution designed to fund conservation and restoration initiatives that improve biodiversity. Unlike carbon credits, which directly compensate for carbon emissions, VBCs focus on ecological restoration and safeguarding habitats. They may offer indirect carbon sequestration as a co-benefit, but they are not intended to neutralise emissions.

While not an offset, VBCs can add value in other strategic ways. For example, in the UK, they can be used to help meet the mandatory 10% social value scoring in public-sector procurement bids. Because VBCs support outcomes linked to jobs, skills, economic regeneration, and environmental benefits, they align well with UK government tender requirements, including those in Northern Ireland, which follows aligned devolved frameworks. 

Speak to Earthly

for more information on how VBCs can contribute to your social value strategy.

While both Voluntary Biodiversity Credits and carbon credits contribute to environmental goals, they address different challenges and represent different outcomes.

Carbon credits

represent a verified tonne of carbon either avoided or removed from the atmosphere. These credits are most commonly used by businesses to compensate for their emissions, with the unit of sale being a tonne of CO₂e. At Earthly, we go further; we only support carbon credits that also deliver measurable benefits for biodiversity and local communities.

Biodiversity credits

, by contrast, represent a verified or quantified improvement in nature, such as the recovery of a key species, improved habitat condition, or enhanced ecosystem function. Interventions that are essential to improve soil structures, for adaptation to climate change, and to contribute to the prevention of natural disasters like flooding and droughts. Earthly also seeks to support projects that demonstrate a positive carbon and social impact. At Earthly, we assess these outcomes through a rigorous methodology and support the sale of biodiversity credits to companies looking to invest directly in nature restoration.

Earthly’s Voluntary Biodiversity Credits are derived from UK-based projects that follow the government’s statutory

Biodiversity Net Gain

framework, developed by

DEFRA

. These projects use the

DEFRA Biodiversity Metric

to measure ecological uplift — specifically, improvements in habitat type, condition, and distinctiveness over a legally secured 30-year period.

The credits Earthly offers represent

fractionalised units of biodiversity gain

, originally designed for land developers but now made available voluntarily to businesses seeking to invest in measurable, science-based nature restoration.

To ensure credibility and ecological rigour, all Earthly-backed VBC projects must:

While the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is not a crediting mechanism or certification system itself, Earthly’s VBCs are also designed to align with and contribute to the delivery of key targets within it, particularly:

This alignment ensures that VBCs function as a market-based tool to support global biodiversity goals through measurable, verifiable ecological impact.

VBCs do not contribute to net zero targets in the traditional sense, they don’t directly compensate for emissions through measurable carbon removals or reductions. Net zero is primarily focused on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and balancing any remaining emissions with carbon offsets.

However, VBCs play a complementary role by funding nature-based solutions that enhance ecosystem resilience - a key pillar of climate adaptation. By supporting the restoration of habitats, species recovery, and ecological functions, VBCs help ecosystems withstand climate-related shocks such as floods, droughts, wildfires, and temperature extremes.

VBCs also address a major limitation of the net zero framework: its narrow focus on carbon. Many high-value conservation efforts, like coral reef restoration, the removal of invasive species, or rewilding with keystone species, do not result in significant carbon sequestration and are often overlooked by carbon markets. By channelling investment into these kinds of interventions, VBCs ensure that biodiversity is not left behind in the race to address the climate crisis.

Currently, Earthly’s VBCs are generated in England under the DEFRA framework but national and global expansion is being explored. Please reach out to our team for updates.

Yes, VBCs make a thoughtful and impactful gift for individuals who care about nature and biodiversity. When you purchase a VBC as a gift, we can arrange for the recipient to receive a

personalised VBC certificate

that recognises their contribution to real-world ecosystem restoration.

Gifting VBC directly supports biodiversity projects that contribute to national and global targets like the UK’s 30x30 commitment (protecting 30% of land and sea by 2030). Since Biodiversity Net Gain alone isn’t enough to achieve this goal, voluntary contributions through VBCs play a vital role in expanding the reach and ambition of nature recovery.

To arrange a gift, contact the Earthly team, and we’ll help you choose a project and issue the certificate. 

You can promote your nature action by highlighting how your VBC investment supports measurable biodiversity outcomes, aligns with global conservation goals, and contributes to the restoration of ecosystems and the protection of endangered species. These interventions are essential to improve soil structures, for adaptation to climate change, and contribute to the prevention of natural disasters like flooding and droughts. 

Earthly provides transparent tracking through our public ledger and your impact dashboard, helping you share a credible and compelling biodiversity narrative with your stakeholders.

Earthly’s VBC projects follow UK

BNG

legislation, which requires biodiversity gains to be secured for a minimum of 30 years. This long-term protection is enforced through

legally binding agreements

, such as:

In addition to these legal instruments, each project must implement a

Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP)

to ensure ongoing stewardship, monitoring, and adaptive management throughout the 30-year period.

Earthly’s VBCs are verified against rigorous ecological and legal standards, but as with any nature-based intervention,

there are inherent risks

. Certain types of ecological failure, such as habitat degradation, invasive species outbreaks, or unsuccessful species reintroduction, could impact the delivery of expected biodiversity outcomes. In cases of

non-compliance

with management plans or legal agreements, credits could also be subject to review.

To safeguard against these risks, Earthly:

These measures help ensure the

credibility and resilience

of VBCs over time, while building trust in a transparent and science-backed system. For more technical details on how invalidation is assessed and addressed, please contact the Earthly team.

Prices for Voluntary Biodiversity Credits vary by project and habitat type. Factors influencing cost include the distinctiveness of the ecosystem, the scale and complexity of restoration, and the specific biodiversity outcomes being delivered.

As of 2024, indicative UK market price ranges are:

These prices reflect not just the ecological value of the restoration, but also the long-term legal protection and monitoring required under frameworks like Biodiversity Net Gain.

To explore current VBC availability and pricing tailored to your goals,

get in touch with the Earthly team

.

At Earthly, we are committed to ensuring that your investment in biodiversity is transparent, credible and impactful. Our credits are rooted in rigorous, science-based methodologies, drawing from frameworks like the UK Government's statutory Biodiversity Net Gain metric. This ensures that the ecological uplift generated by the projects we support is measurable, verifiable, and secured for the long term through legally binding agreements.

To ensure full transparency and accountability, every Earthly VBC is recorded in the world’s first public

biodiversity credit ledger

, giving buyers clear, auditable proof of impact. This unparalleled transparency to the market allows you to track the origin and impact of every credit, preventing double-counting, and building trust in your nature-positive actions.

Talk to us

to learn how your organisation can invest in trusted biodiversity credits.