Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) won’t solve all our problems, but done right, it could be a powerful tool for Nature recovery.

Rather than delivering small patches of restoration around a single development which might compromise connectivity and as a result, quality, habitat banking allows us to merge efforts.

Restoration happens in one larger area and generates credits that multiple developers can buy, ensuring that the right work happens in the right place and at a meaningful scale.

Watch this video about Plymouth City Council’s habitat bank project.

The supply of high-integrity nature-based solutions projects is on the rise. This is fantastic news and shows a real push in the sector for ambitious programs of work large enough to receive more funding than we’ve ever seen before. But will the buyers be there?

We may be developing these projects in an echo chamber and need to engage our buyers now, at these early stages.

We shouldn’t assume they’ll be there. Not yet.

Learn how to identify and engage buyers with the Green Finance Institute.

We need the Board and c-suite executives out on the ground much earlier. It seems that accessing these top-level decision-makers is the hardest yard in activating green finance partnerships, so they need to be engaged first.

If you’re going to the effort of meeting potential partners in person and immersing them in a priority area, make sure it’s the right people.

Nature markets are new, but investors are confident in their potential for growth and for Nature itself to become an asset class. So, whilst there is risk and things are still evolving, referring to the space as “confusing”, “murky” or “the wild west” is unhelpful.

In fact, it's none of these things, and countries across the globe are formulating the frameworks, regulations, and guidance for practitioners to meaningfully engage with them.

We need to lead the charge in communicating about these markets responsibly, constructively, and mindfully.

Our economic model is, at its core, extractive. We need a system that puts back what it takes (with interest). Our work may sometimes feel piecemeal, but we are placing the building blocks of a foundational shift, and we must not lose sight of the bigger picture.

Find out how protected landscapes are exploring a Doughnut Economics model.

A huge thanks to the entire SDNPA team and speakers for an inspiring and energising day in a truly stunning location.

Interested in more learnings like this?

Check out Bec's key takeaways from the Environmental Finance conference and what investors are looking for in Nature recovery investments.