This summer, the government released new national standards for Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), which mentioned the need to maximise their biodiversity benefits and how they could contribute to biodiversity net gain (BNG) requirements. But we’re still waiting for SuDS to be made mandatory. What are the likely barriers? How could SuDS be a tool for boosting biodiversity? And do the new standards go far enough in encouraging a nature-based approach? Our panellists share their thoughts and the best practices for design and implementation of SuDS.