Katie Leach

National Audit Office casts doubt on the efficacy of Biodiversity Net Gain: https://lnkd.in/eWjR3m6j In November 2021 Defra publicly committed to launch statutory BNG within two years. It worked quickly, developing a novel policy through an existing and complex planning system, and statutory BNG was launched in February 2024. However, in prioritising launching the policy it accepted some significant risks to effectiveness which it must now manage as the policy moves from implementation to business as usual. Defra launched its policy before having all the elements in place that it needs to ensure statutory BNG is a success in the long term. Although it considered that the arrangements it had in place at launch were sufficient, it has a long way to go before it can be confident that damage to biodiversity through development will not be understated and that the benefits of biodiversity enhancements will actually be delivered. For its market-led approach to work, Defra needs the market to scale up to meet demand, and for statutory biodiversity credits to deliver biodiversity when the market fails to do so. Local authorities manage many aspects of statutory BNG through the planning process, including ensuring compliance and enforcement. For now, there is doubt about whether local authorities will be able to discharge these duties effectively. In addition, it is not clear whether Defra will have sufficiently granular monitoring data to assess policy performance. Without these, Defra will not have assurance that its statutory BNG policy is delivering biodiversity outcomes and value for money for taxpayers. #BNG #Biodiversity #Planning #BiodiversityNetGain

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😞 https://lnkd.in/e99C-Nzm I am disappointed to hear that the Scottish Government has decided to set aside the commitments it made at #COP26 to achieve carbon neutrality by 2045 and reduce emissions every year. This is a crucial moment for the world to tackle the #climatecrisis, and it needs leaders who can honour their promises and take action. There may be political capital in scrapping the law because the annual targets have not been met, but without a definite aim to work towards, how can progress be tracked and hold ourselves accountable? #climatecrisis #esg #lifeatVisa To find out more about the Visa ESG in Suppy Chain programme: https://vi.sa/3OJ0zNQ

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Good short summary here from UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) on #carbonsequestration in soils. https://lnkd.in/eQBUDjVE Distinguishing between carbon stores and carbon sequestration is important. This report makes it clear that soils are important carbon stores, but the potential for more long term sequestration is quite limited – with more opportunity with arable than with grassland.  (When interpreting the table on page 4 note that the figures given under woodland and hedges are only for carbon sequestration into the soil . Most of carbon sequestration in growing woodland into is into the tree biomass – need to add something like another 4 tCO2 ha-1 yr-1) for young broadleaved woodland, assuming that this carbon stays in long term store (i.e. is not harvested and used in short lifetime products).   The report points out that these sequestration rates need to be considered alongside the average emissions from farmland. For Wales it says this is a relatively high 3.75 tCO2 ha-1 yr-1 because of the preponderance of livestock. 

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In keeping with the Nature & Biodiversity theme at COP29 today and the need to increase awareness of the opportunities arising from the integration of biodiversity net gain and flood risk management in an urban context, we hope that policymakers, those tasked with managing urban flood risk, property developers and their financiers/insurers – and the wider BNG community – will embrace our recommendations, learn from existing cases and help facilitate more demonstrator projects. With many thanks to Jonathan Kassian at Flood Re, and to all of our contributors who provided their support in bringing this paper together, Phoebe Tucker at Green Finance Institute, Flood Re's Richard Horswill, Chloe Treger at TreesAI, Rachel Glossop, Jaroslav Mysiak, the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA), Swenja Surminski, Anna Beswick, Georgina Kyriacou.

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Community benefit programs & nature initiatives are pretty popular at the moment as part of infrastructure development projects, including in the renewable energy space. This report has just been released by the The Strathclyde Institute for Sustainable Communities (SISC) looking at "Community participation for community benefits from natural capital projects" and co-authored by Rebecca Gowens (who was one of the presenters at the IAIA conference session I chaired re community benefits funds in Dublin a few weeks ago in April). It's interesting reading for anyone involved in #communitybenefits, #nature and #communityengagement space. There hasn't been a lot published around the effectiveness of community benefit programs, so this research is especially valuable in helping provide some much-needed evidence and practice insights. Reflecting that the realisation of community benefits are not guaranteed, a number of lessons are offered in the report. One of the aspects of the report I think is especially useful are ten guiding principles for effective community participation in natural capital projects. These include that community participation should be: 1. Bespoke 2. Legitimate and democratic 3. Inclusive 4. Coordinated 5. Resourced 6. Lasting 7. Proportionate 8. Targeted, timely and longitudinal 9. Transparent 10. Accountable and reflexive #socialimpact

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I was delighted to take part in a report on the State of Voluntary Biodiversity Credit Markets released today by authors Pollination. See below link. Whilst biodiversity net gain (BNG) is a major advance in addressing biodiversity impacts from built development in the UK, something I've campaigned for since 2006, in reality it is highly unlikely to make a major impact on restoring nature at scale here as only 3000-4000 hectares a year are needed to deliver the development sectors requirements in England. And there are currently barriers that have to be addressed - if most of this requirement is placed on-site it will have no value to wider scale biodiversity improvement, something I am currently working on with a panel of experts (more of this later). Delivery of off-site habitat banks for BNG is also hindered by problems around issuing Section 106 documents by local planing authorities and effective and fast roll-out of conservation covenants using 'responsible bodies', both of these issues must be addressed urgently. However, BNG's main legacy is likely to be a compliance framework that could be adapted for converting a voluntary biodiversity credit market into a mandated one. That really would escalate nature restoration investment to an entirely different level. I will post an article I've written on this later this week. In the meantime, the Pollination report makes fascinating reading. Congratulations to them for bringing this information together. #biodiversitycredits #naturalcapital #environmentalmarkets #TNFD #biodiversityaccounting

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The Green Finance Institute has today published the first-of-its-kind analysis quantifying the impact that nature degradation could have on the UK’s economy and financial system. We are facing a material risk as a result of nature loss – with estimates reaching a 12% loss to GDP. This report shows that chronic and acute nature-related risks are on par with climate risk and highlights the urgent need to transition our economic and financial system to one that values and invests in the natural environment.

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I have not been this excited about a new paper in a while! Thank you to the Green Finance Institute and its associates for delivering this significant and ground breaking piece of work. The results from this report are concerning but at the same time I hopeful - it highlights the urgency for all stakeholders (Central Banks, supervisors, FIs, etc.) to act now! #nature #riskmanagement #climatechange

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🌱No Net Zero Without Nature! We cannot afford to wear carbon blinders!🌱 New work from Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ) on the essential work of integrating nature into net-zero transition planning! This accessible report emphasizes why embedding nature into net zero strategies is no longer optional—it's essential. Here are some of my perspectives on the most important takeaways from this work: -Nature as a Key Asset and Risk Factor: GFANZ highlights that nature and biodiversity underpin almost half of global GDP. From agriculture to manufacturing, sectors rely heavily on nature, and failing to integrate it into transition plans introduces blind spots in climate risk assessments. -More Comprehensive Transition Planning: To align with net zero, organizations should set clear, science-based targets that address both carbon emissions and nature impacts. The report suggests concrete steps to manage land use, resource extraction, and biodiversity loss—tied directly to risk management. Practical Tools for Integration: GFANZ proposes tools and frameworks that help companies assess their nature impacts and dependencies, including regulatorily-aligned disclosure methods that add critical transparency to natural capital risks. Why This Matters Now: Financial institutions are rapidly ramping up their climate commitments, but this report reminds us: without nature as part of the equation, net zero is unsustainable. The shift toward nature-inclusive finance isn't just about mitigating risks; it’s about harnessing opportunities in regenerative practices and biodiversity-friendly innovations. This is how we future-proof the path to net zero. 👉 Ready to act? This is your moment to champion #NetZero strategies that bring nature to the forefront. Engage with this consultation and share your perspectives! ➡️ Check out the report here: https://lnkd.in/etgN-D89 #SustainableFinance #ClimateAction #Nature #COP16 #Transitionplanning #GFANZ

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Making the consideration of nature, second nature in the workplace. WWF-UK, National Trust and RSPB have combined forces to support workers at all businesses to take the steps to make #nature part of everyday thinking, discussion. and decision making. Developed alongside employees and managers across a range of firms and industries, Nature’s Workforce provides a suite of resources including a detailed step-by-step guide on how to start conversations at work on ways businesses can help support #naturepositive outcomes. Its core five steps are: 📚Learn about business and nature - Understanding how your business depends and impacts on nature. ❓Ask the right questions- discover five areas you can make a different in your workplace. 👫Collaborate with Collegues - Find out how to engage your collegues in the discussion. 🗣️Hold the Conversation- Get started no matter how much time you have. 🎬Turn talk into Action - Take the first steps and spread the message about your work. You don’t need to be a nature expert or know all the answers to get involved. You only need to be curious, open, and willing to get the conversation going! Congratulations to my Aviva colleagues who contributed to bring this to life, and we continue to work together with WWF to act on climate change and nature loss to make a better tomorrow.

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Can anyone point to an in-depth explainer and critique of the net biodiversity gain policy please? Got the below from government but keen to understand what impact it might actually have, not least on the natural capital and biodiversity credit market. Hoping there’s some independent analysis out there that’s worth delving into. Many thanks https://lnkd.in/d4qnRvWB #sustainability #biodiversity

📋 Green Finance Institute has published a great document reviewing Biodiversity Net Gain to date, highlighting key concerns and recommendations for the government to keep improving this groundbreaking policy. ✨ Some key points for me: 🌳 “Support the provision of higher distinctiveness habitats within the metric’s unit generation, where the plans are ecologically feasible.” This has been discussed in many BNG circles for a while now. The metric was designed to disincentivise habitat loss, but we want to incentivise rare habitats if ecological conditions and due diligence support it. Incorporating these in large habitat bank projects can be financially viable, though sometimes they have a negative value (i.e creating woodland on existing grassland). 🐜 “Strengthen the use of habitat as a proxy for delivering real biodiversity gains, using other ecological factors.” Using habitats as a proxy involves compromises. Adding new elements must be enforceable and clear. The voluntary biodiversity credit conversation that is ongoing, shows endless debates about cost vs quality vs WHEN WILL THIS EVER END. We need to advance the metric cautiously, focusing first on system and governance issues (below). 🔧 Governance issues include: - Lack of LPA resources - Unclear guidance for responsible bodies - Conflicts of interest between LPAs as assessors and off-site providers - On-site gains register and enforceability review 🔍 These points are crucial for the policy's success. Transparency and enforcement are vital, as shown by Sophus zu Ermgassen and others work on offsetting in other countries (lack of good governance means a policy will fail). 🏞️ Clarity on the supply side is needed. What happens if a site doesn’t deliver what’s promised? A fine? Requirement to offset the offset? 🔆 On the demand side, clarity on solar developments and additionality rules is essential. Clear government rules would help resolve debates. I reckon most demand-side issues can be resolved by addressing governance inefficiencies. This was expected in a new market. 'BNG 1.0' needs refining, we always knew it would but I'm glad we've got moving. Through iteration, analysis, and feedback, we can develop a robust system to improve nature in England and beyond.

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It's a really exciting time to be working in the climate space and supporting FIs respond to the evolving regulatory landscape. With the FCA PS21/24 deadline having now passed for many firms, the lens naturally turns to "what's next?". It can certainly seem overwhelming: depending on portfolio/fund geography, this could mean a combination of ISSB IFRS S2, CSRD, SEC, EU Taxonomy, and more. However, to me, this just demonstrates the importance and value of what we, at Anthesis Group, and others in the sustainability consulting space are doing.   Part of the reason I feel it is such an exciting time is because of the plans I have for the end of the year. Having an impact-focused career and seeking to make a real difference in the face of climate challenges has always been of high value to me. Anthesis fully supports this and so, over the next few months, expect to see some changes as my plans for our support to FIs unfolds.   💡 This will most certainly present opportunity for growth in our team. So if you (or someone you know) is considering their first or next step into the world of climate advisory, with a focus on solutions for FIs and a geek streak that means they don't mind a bit of regulation jargon(!), get in touch. Otherwise, watch this space! 👀

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It's happening tomorrow! A webinar on TNFD's draft guidance on nature transition plans.

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Great to see this report out by Oceana UK. The UK Government must act quickly to end overfishing. Healthy seas underpin thriving coastal communities. Collectively our focus must be to rebuild fish stocks and create a more equitable quota allocation system so that the most sustainable forms of fishing are prioritised, benefiting both coastal communities and marine ecosystems. Setting TACs below scientific advice to accelerate this rebuilding rather than sticking to the headline advice and maintaining the status quo, or worse encouraging further overfishing by setting TACs higher than advice, should be a prority during this year’s annual UK-EU fishing negotiations. For stocks in crisis - where the advice is set at 0 TAC - we need a shift away from bycatch-only quotas that incentivise further overfishing. At it’s heart, there must be move toward ecosystem-based fisheries management.

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🔊 Yesterday, the WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) and Zoological Society of London (ZSL) released their joint flagship report titled "𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗲𝘁 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰" highlight the state of wildlife conservation, nexus between biodiversity and climate change, and requirement to arrest the biodiversity degradation across the globe.  🔎 Following are some of the key findings➡️  1️⃣ There has been a catastrophic 73% decline in the average size of monitored wildlife populations over just 50 years (1970-2020). 2️⃣ The steepest declines in monitored wildlife populations are recorded in Latin America and the Caribbean (95%), Africa (76%) and Asia–Pacific (60%) and in freshwater ecosystems (85%). 3️⃣ Habitat loss and degradation, driven primarily by food system (deforestation for agricultural land use) is the most reported threat to wildlife populations around the world, followed by overexploitation, invasive species and disease. 4️⃣ Decline in wildlife population act as an early warning indicator of increasing extinction risk & loss of healthy ecosystems. When ecosystems are damaged they can become more vulnerable to tipping points— pushed beyond a critical threshold toward potentially irreversible change, such as continued deforestation of Amazon rainforest will transform it from carbon sink to carbon source with a global impact. 5️⃣ Global agreements and solutions - Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework - to set nature on the path to recovery by 2030, but so far there’s been little progress on delivery and a lack of urgency. 6️⃣ An urgent requirement of an effective, conservation efforts, along with systematically addressing the major drivers of nature loss – transforming the agri-food, energy, and finance systems. “𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢 & 𝙞𝙛 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙩 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩. 𝙄𝙛 𝘼𝙢𝙖𝙯𝙤𝙣 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙗𝙤𝙣 𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙧𝙪𝙥𝙩 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙡𝙤𝙗𝙚. 𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙨, 𝙞𝙩’𝙨 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙖 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙚, 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙.”                      - Sandra Valenzuela, CEO, WWF Colombia 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dKwKnArC 𝗦𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 💙 ! #Wildlife #Biodiversity #Nature #NatureRisk #ClimateChange #TNFD #SustainableDevelopment #GreenGrowth

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🚜💲NGOs call for increase in Agriculture budget to support #NatureFriendlyFarming A report published by The Wildlife Trusts RSPB and National Trust highlights the pivotal role of farmers and the private finance gap to be filled to support the agriculture sector in meeting environmental targets: 📈 68% more funding required for agriculture to meet environmental targets including England’s 2030 species abundance target as set out in the 2021 Environment Act, and devolved nations’ 2050 net zero targets. 💰 Investment required amounts to £5.9bn per year over 10 years. 🐄 The report advises that money should be spent on ambitious #HigherTier schemes for #HabitatRestoration and #SpeciesRecovery in England, with greater support for upland farmers. 🔎 Recommendations are based on the latest #data gathered by looking beyond income and cost incurred, and takes into account variation across type/size/characteristics of different #farming methods. 👎🏼 As is so often the case, these responses oppose an apparent mindset that undervalues farming, and an approach to land use that silos #FoodProduction from #NatureRestoration - a critical error that needs to be addressed in order for progress to be made. 🤔 Question for the new Government: how’s that #LandUseFramework coming along? https://lnkd.in/egsqQ8Er #RegenerativeAgriculture #NaturalCapital #FoodSecurity Craig Bennett Martin Lines Nature Friendly Farming Network Green Finance Institute #EnvironmentAct #ELMs #LandscapeRecovery #AgricultureBudget #FarmingBudget

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24 Hours in Farming. #Farm24 is all about celebrating farmers and what they do. So it feels appropriate that this week I've spent a good deal of time speaking with farmers about the #ClimateAction they're taking, as well as discussing more about how to achieve #NetZero in #Farming. The photo was taken on a dairy farm that has adopted a year-round grazing regime, including paddock/mob grazing where the cows are moved regularly across herb-rich pastures with a mix of deep rooted plant species. This improves soil structure and carbon sequestration while encouraging pollinator-friendly flowers. It minimises the need for supplementary feeding as the cows are rarely kept indoors and their grass is rich in nutrition. There are clearly still greenhouse gas emissions associated with this system, it is more or less inevitable, but this farmer has found a system that is profitable, lower emission and healthy for his herd. So many farmers understand they have a role to play in tackling the climate crisis and are adopting new approaches that reduce climate pollution and are generally kinder to the environment on which all farmers depend. So I am celebrating them as part of #Farm24. #Sustainability

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