Nature-based solutions
Nature-based solutions can help corporates, developers and landowners looking to deliver on their sustainability commitments.Â
What are nature-based solutions?
Nature-based solutions (NbS) work with nature to benefit both society and biodiversity. They protect, restore and manage ecosystems and can be used to sustainably manage agricultural land, forestry and our rivers and coastal waters. They also include urban interventions and masterplanning design to build in green spaces such as green roofs, pocket parks, rain gardens and planting more urban trees.
They provide a range of benefits, including enhanced biodiversity, flood alleviation, better livelihoods for local communities, and they contribute to greenhouse gas reductions, either by storing carbon or by preventing its release.
As governments commit to and prioritise the restoration of nature and biodiversity, a holistic, nature-based approach to development is rapidly becoming the key to success when it comes to moving development plans forward.
Nature-based solutions examples
Typical nature-based solutions include:
- Upland and lowland peat restoration
- Woodland planting
- Rewilding
- Wetlands and reedbeds
- Natural Flood management (NFM) solutions
- Seagrass and salt marsh restoration.
How can nature-based solutions help me?
Nature-based solutions can help corporates, land owners and developers achieve their sustainability targets. If you're a business or developer looking to tackle unavoidable emissions, our team of carbon assessors and sustainability experts can help you weigh up the pros cons of offsetting so you can make an informed decision about whether its right for you. If you are considering your lands potential for offsetting, we can bring together a team of ecologists and landscape architects to deliver a robust assessment to determine carbon sequestration potential.Â
How can we help you? Â
Nature-based solutions and carbon offsetting?
Carbon offsetting is the practice of balancing carbon emissions through organised carbon reduction initiatives. It can be used by governments, companies and individuals as part of a low carbon strategy to compensate for emissions that can't be reduced.
Within the offset market there are both verified and unverified options to consider as part of a robust strategy.
Verified offsets are those that provide a guarantee that the carbon savings are real, permanent and additional. These normally take the format of the international traded offsets such as the Gold Standard which can be accounted for within the most recent reporting year. The Woodland Carbon Code and Peatland Code are UK based schemes that can contribute towards net zero strategies compensating for UK emissions.
Unverified carbon offset schemes can support not only carbon sequestration but other environmental and social objectives, however, they do not have the guarantee concerning the additionality nor permanency.
Tackling biodiversity loss with Biodiversity Net Gain
Sustainable development is crucial if we are to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss and the recently passed Environment Act which brings mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) laws into England, demonstrates the Government's commitment to making it happen.Â
But what do the changing laws mean for developers and how do you move from a position of no net less to providing net gain?Â
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