nature-based solutions compact
TRANSCRIPT
The National Trust has put together a set of ambitious guiding
principles for land managers to deliver high quality nature-based
solutions. The principles aim to ensure that solutions deliver for
nature, for the climate and for everyone.
Signatories believe that a climate-focused nature-based solution of the highest standard will:
1. Be implemented alongside, not instead of, urgent and meaningful action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate change and increase biodiversity, and be designed and monitored to ensure that there is a net gain of carbon sequestration.
2. Create or restore wildlife rich habitats and ecosystems to genuinely support nature’s recovery and provide long term biodiversity increases in a changing environment.
3. Wherever practical, be designed, implemented or managed in consultation with local communities to ensure they take account of past, present, and future landscape character.
4. Facilitate opportunities, wherever practical, to deliver benefits for communities and people, at a local and a national level, including to address the impacts of climate change upon people, communities, infrastructure and society.
5. Consider the location, ecology and the broader landscape, to put the right solution in the right place and deliver multiple benefits.
6. Be future-proofed and adaptively managed to ensure they are climate resilient and effective for generations to come.
Nature-Based Solutions Compact
What are nature-based solutions and why do they matter?
Nature-based solutions are land management interventions that use nature and natural ecosystems to deliver improvements against societal problems, providing multiple benefits for the public and for biodiversity. Widely recognised as a critical aspect of our response to climate change, examples of nature-based solutions include woodland creation, peatland restoration and coastal managed realignment.
The demands on our land are multiple; from sequestering carbon to supporting the livelihoods of many families, and from providing habitats for nature to producing the food and natural resources society needs to live prosperously. As the Committee on Climate Change states in their Sixth Carbon Budget, ‘Delivering emissions reduction should not be at the expense of increasing food imports that risk ‘carbon leakage’’. To ensure our small island can meet all of these needs, we must use the same plot of land to deliver against several demands. Nature-based solutions answer this challenge, as they deliver simultaneously against some of society’s most pressing challenges, including:
Reducing our greenhouse gas emissions – There is a global climate crisis and if we are to limit the ef- fects of climate change, we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions rapidly in the UK. Restoring peatlands, for example, reduces the loss of carbon to the atmosphere that occurs as the peat degrades.
Sequestering carbon – Woodlands, wetlands and saltmarsh are all habitats known to sequester carbon efficiently, but the restoration or creation of many other habitats will also make a contribution.
Reversing the loss of nature – With unprecedented declines in the abundance and distribution of the wildlife that underpins a healthy environment, we need to restore and create bigger and better habitats.
Restoring healthy soils, air and freshwaters – Targeted woodland establishment can reduce atmospheric pollution and soil erosion. Riparian buffers can help improve water quality and shade water bodies from increased temperatures.
Adapting to the effects of climate change – The effects of climate change have already negatively affected people, businesses and the places we love. Trees can provide shade in extreme heat, and floodplain meadows can be restored to store more water, alleviating flood risk downstream.
Addressing inequality of access to nature – Evidence shows that there are significant inequalities in people’s access to nature, often correlated to poverty and BME representation.
Improving public health and wellbeing – A growing body of evidence suggests that for those living in urban deserts, with reduced opportunity to connect with the natural world, the impact on their health and wellbeing is significant. More nature is needed within and close to cities.
Developing rural economic opportunities – Rural areas often struggle to retain young people because of limited local job opportunities. Land based rural economies such as local food markets, nature conservation and green access can generate local green jobs. Increasing supply of sustainable high quality, nature- and climate-friendly food and timber – Nature-based solutions can meet the multiple demands on our land for climate and nature improvements, while still delivering crops and livestock, and other natural materials, grown to high environmental and animal welfare standards. Domestic production of these goods ensures we are not reliant on imports, which frequently carry a higher carbon impact.
Nature Based Solutions Compact
Why do we need principles for nature-based solutions to climate change?
Nature-based solutions will be a key mechanism to tackle a broad number of issues, but they will be particularly useful in addressing climate change. While they alone cannot fix the climate crisis or alleviate all its effects, and we still also need to adopt ways of living that produce less carbon, nature-based solutions will play a crucial role in reaching the national Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions target and in helping us to adapt to the effects of climate change. Nature-based solutions, moreover, are an effective solution that can be deployed immediately, as opposed to other new technologies that are still being designed or tested. For nature-based solutions to have a lasting and effective impact, they will need to be designed well and deliver multiple benefits that embed them in the landscape and local communities.
That nature-based solutions provide these multiple benefits however - for people, climate and nature – cannot be taken for granted. If not properly planned and managed, solutions can be short lived or unsustainable. Moreover, if implementing climate solutions significantly reduces agricultural or natural resource production, we will only displace our emissions to other countries.
Thus, the National Trust, as a practitioner of nature-based solutions, has put together a set of ambitious guiding principles for land managers, to ensure that solutions deliver for nature, for the climate, and for everyone. The Trust hopes these principles will help encourage the development and uptake of nature-based solutions which meet the highest standards of delivery, are integrated into nature-friendly farming, and directly tackle the causes and effects of climate change. They represent our own understanding of a quality solution and have been learned from our practical experiences of implementing changes to our land use and land management.
Nature Based Solutions Compact
Using Our Principles
The principles are based on the Guidelines put together by Oxford University’s Nature-Based Solutions Institute and the IUCN’s Global Standard for Nature-Based Solutions, and are written in a way to ensure they are relevant to land managers in the UK. Accompanying case studies illuminate how this theory translates to practice. They are focused in particular on nature-based solutions that target sequestering carbon and adapting to the effects of climate change.
By signing this compact, these organisations pledge to seek to reach this high standard themselves and/ or to recommend this standard to their members. As land managers, however, we know that meeting this high standard is extremely challenging, and there are barriers that mean that at present it will not always be possible in the face of the urgent response that the threat of climate change demands. We also fully acknowledge the need for partnership working between landowner and tenant to be able to effect real change. However, these principles represent the gold standard we, the signatories, aspire to meet and will endeavour to do our best to achieve.
Signatories, as land-managers, need government support to consistently deliver this high standard of nature-based solutions. In particular, as they design the three tiers of the Environmental Land Management Scheme, the signatories urge government to keep in mind this compact and design a scheme that facilitates and incentivises this high-quality delivery. Moreover, we ask that those in local government refer to this compact also, particularly when designing the Local Nature Recovery Strategies, as these will be essential for integrating effective and high-quality nature-based solutions into the existing landscape.
Nature Based Solutions Compact
Nature Based Solutions Compact
Signatories believe that a climate-focused nature-based solution of the highest standard will:
Be implemented alongside, not instead of, urgent and meaningful action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate change and increase biodiversity, and be designed and monitored to ensure that there is a net gain of carbon sequestration.
1.
Create or restore wildlife rich habitats and ecosystems to genuinely support nature’s recovery and provide long term biodiversity increases in a changing environment.2.
The most pressing action we need to take to tackle climate change is to reduce the harmful emissions we release. Society, and particularly land managers, can do this, for example, by shifting towards renewable energy sources, using electric vehicles, making our buildings more energy efficient and reducing emissions from agriculture.
Nature-based solutions can complement such carbon reduction strategies and help reduce the impacts of existing and continuing emissions; however, we cannot use nature-based solutions to neutralise all the harmful emissions we are currently releasing. Reducing emissions and mitigation efforts, including nature-based solutions, will be crucial in reaching our national ambition of having net zero greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, for nature-based solutions to be meaningful in the fight against climate change, they must be accompanied by efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Nature-based solution should be implemented alongside, not instead of, existing and increased nature conservation policy, funding and action which is essential to turn around the loss of biodiversity in the UK. Implementing nature-based solutions will go a long way to creating new, nature-friendly habitats, but significant separate work is also needed to create the breadth of high-quality habitats required by our native species .
Land use changes and management practices of nature-based solutions can themselves generate emissions; steps should be taken to ensure that these emissions do not outweigh the carbon seques- tered by the solution. Where possible, baselining and monitoring should be put in place so the net emis- sions of the project can be understood and minimised.
Implementing nature-based solutions should not only deliver carbon sequestration, but also generate long-term improvements to biodiversity by creating new or restoring old habitats that wildlife will use. This will ensure that any solution implemented increases the number and abundance of species that benefit from the land.
Land managers should ensure that there is a net increase in the land managed for nature and the number of benefits delivered for biodiversity through nature-based solutions. This should be done by taking a baseline of wildlife abundance and frequent monitoring to ensure that the solution is genuinely delivering for native wildlife. Overall, any nature-based solution should contribute to the Government’s effort to halt and reverse species decline by 2030 and should be monitored to ensure this is achieved.
Wherever practical, be designed, implemented or managed in consultation with local communities to ensure they take account of past, present, and future landscape character.
3.
In some cases, to implement a nature-based solution, consultation with local communities is compulsory, but land managers, wherever practical, should aim to work in collaboration with local communities to ensure nature-based solutions are well understood and accepted. The multiple benefits that land managers can deliver to the environment and society are not always well-recognised. Implementing nature-based solutions offers an opportunity for an improved understanding between land managers and local communities on what good land stewardship can provide.
Respecting the existing landscape character will help to ensure the new solution is welcomed and is effective. This does not mean nothing can change, rather it means understanding what is important and special about local landscapes and interpreting this for current societal and environmental demands. The historic uses of the land as well as the needs of modern society must both be considered. Taking account of landscape character also includes protecting existing historic features and working with existing plans for the neighbourhood, such as the Local Nature Recovery Strategies in England.
Facilitate opportunities, wherever practical, to deliver benefits for communities and people, at a local and a national level, including to address the impacts of climate change upon people, communities, infrastructure and society.
4.
Beyond just working with local communities, implementing a nature-based solution provides the opportunity to deliver wider benefits to people, beyond carbon sequestration and habitat creation. This might include, for example, encouraging and facilitating local access to nature, by providing a path through newly planted woodland, or generating green jobs and apprenticeships in the local area.
In particular, nature-based solutions can be an essential delivery mechanism in helping society to adapt to more extreme weather conditions, rising sea levels and flooding, caused by climate change. These solutions are particularly beneficial because they often involve land managers working in close partnership with local people to reconnect them with and enhance the natural assets that underpin and protect their homes and livelihoods.
Nature Based Solutions Compact
Consider the location, ecology and the broader landscape, to put the right solution in the right place and deliver multiple benefits.5.
Any land management change will have consequences, so it is important to find the solution that maximises the benefits and balances the trade-offs. These benefits might include carbon sequestration, flood management, local community health, and increasing biodiversity. Nature-based solutions by definition will deliver multiple benefits across these categories and the best will be an effective mechanism to deliver against the multiple pressures on our land, from food production to providing new habitats. There will often be choices in the benefits a project can deliver and a fair, transparent, and inclusive process will be the best way to balance these.
Different areas will be better suited to different solutions. This means, for example, a landscape of deep peat will be better suited to rewetting, rather than using it as a place establish a new forest, because the former may store carbon more effectively and the latter might release carbon from the soil. Early consideration, through consultation with local and national experts, on where to put a solution can ensure multiple benefits are delivered.
The natural context of a plot of land will also be influenced by broader landscape-scale considerations, such as catchment areas, and these will also have a bearing on which solution is most appropriate. Land managers can look to plans and analysis of the local area, including Local Nature Recovery Strategies in England, to understand the potential of the land, how it could best be used, and how it could best compliment the surrounding landscape.
Employing a nature-based solution does not necessarily mean taking land out of agricultural production. In many cases, solutions can be implemented that increase or diversify agricultural production, while still delivering several benefits. Farmers should consider what part of their land is most suitable to employing a nature-based solution, both from the perspective of delivering more, bigger, better and more joined up nature, but also from an economic perspective.
Be future-proofed and adaptively managed to ensure they are climate resilient and effective for generations to come.6.
When implementing a nature-based solution, consideration should be given to the changes we will increasingly see to our land because of climate change. Already, temperatures are becoming more extreme and flooding and drought more commonplace and extensive, and these changes will only increase. Not only can nature-based solutions help to alleviate the effects of these changing weather patterns, but solutions should be implemented that will be sustainable in this new and changing environment . Adding regular review points into the management plan of a solution will ensure it is correctly adapted to changing circumstances.
We are still studying and learning about nature-based solutions, so it is very likely that new techniques will develop and new best practice will evolve as the evidence base grows. These should be applied; management of nature-based solutions must evolve with the science, as well as the climate. Innovation and testing of new techniques and natural technologies should be welcomed and this further requires fluid management and monitoring, to understand the effect new techniques deliver and adapt them to ensure positive outcomes. Management plans should also be flexible enough to react and make changes if monitoring reveals the project is not delivering the desired outcomes or if changing external factors have impacted the project’s effectiveness.
Nature Based Solutions Compact
Case study: Riverlands - Porlock Vale, National Trust
Inspired by successful river restoration projects in America, the National Trust piloted riverlands floodplain reconnection at our Holnicote estate, the first time the technique had been tried in the UK. This nature positive approach to restoration and land management works with natural processes to enrich biodiversity, store carbon, and slow and purify water.
As part of the Riverlands project at Porlock we’ve taken an innovative approach to river restoration. Using earth moving equipment we re-naturalised the flow of water of the River Allen across the landscape, infilled the historic drainage and used woody debris to develop more natural flow, giving water space and developing increased ecosystem function with benefits for people and nature.
The two-week restoration was undertaken in October 2019 and in just over a year we have achieved complex channel structure and vegetation, reconnection of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and slower flow with multiple smaller channels, pools, riffles and valuable wetland habitat. There have been benefits for wildlife through development of more complex and abundant ecosystems and creation of a mosaic of different habitats, providing a suitable home for species like the endangered water vole, bats and amphibians. The changesimplemented are developing a resilient landscape which is better at adapting to the challenges of climate change, acting as a buffer in times of flood and allowing aquifers to recharge in times of drought.
Future phases of the project will restore natural function to a significant part of the Allen catchment (over 130 ha) as well as a lower reach of the Hawkcombe river, where we’ll develop complex intertidal habitat by allowing the flow of the river out across its floodplain - delivering improved habitats for nature and resilience to the effects of climate change. This work is being combined with wider landscape interventions. We’ll support farmers to demonstrate an economically and environmentally sustainable approach to farming that promotes biodiversity and supports ‘net-zero’ targets, for example working with local farmers to deliver conservation grazing with native breed livestock over more than 2500 ha of National Trust owned land.
Case Studies
Case study: Warroch Hill Woodland Creation, Church Commissioners for England
Warroch Hill, a marginal 1,069-acre hill farm in the Ochil Hills of Perthshire, had been used for low intensity livestock grazing for decades. It was identified as land with high potential for woodland creation which would deliver multiple benefits, including production of construction-grade timber and improvements for biodiversity, landscape, and amenity value.
An extensive range of environmental, wildlife and impact surveys were undertaken to establish any site sensitivities, including surveys for birds, rare vegetation and archaeological remains. The new woodland was designed to meet the UK Forestry Standard, ensuring key elements of sustainability were met in relation to biodiversity, climate change, historic environment, landscape, people, soil, and water.
Planting was undertaken in two phases – in 2014 and 2020 – creating an aggregate 819 acres of new woodland, of which 157 acres are a variety of native broadleaves and open ground. In total, over 750,000 new trees were planted. A small area of peat at the very top of the hill was left unplanted for carbon retention. The Warroch Hill woodland creation scheme was one of the first to provide a specific diffuse pollution plan to mitigate against the potential for diffuse pollution into nearby Loch Leven. As part of the works, existing private water supplies were augmented in collaboration with the local residents.
As testament to the quality of woodland establishment, Warroch Hill won the James Jones Trophy at Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards in 2015 for best new commercial woodland planting in Scotland. The woodland is certified through UK Woodland Assurance Standard, an independent certification standard for verifying sustainable woodland management. Any trees harvested in the future will be certified by FSC as sustainably produced and will aim to maximise long-life carbon sequestration in construction-grade timber, reducing reliance on imported timber. New trees will be planted in their place to ensure a sustainable, renewable supply.
Case Studies
Photograph showing a well-established native broadleaf element planted along the watercourse at the bottom of Warroch Hill, phasing into a diverse coniferous woodland in the far right of the photograph.
Case study: Clifton Wastewater Treatment Works, Yorkshire Water
Yorkshire Water is set to create a new integrated constructed wetland at its Clifton wastewater treatment works, near Doncaster, which will provide a natural, sustainable and low-carbon way to treat water before returning it to the environment.
An area approximately the size of three Olympic swimming pools featuring interconnected ponds will be constructed and planted with over 20,000 wetland plants. The wetland will help remove phosphorus from millions of litres of treated water. The natural filtering process will further improve the quality of water being returned to the environment.
As well as providing a sustainable and energy-efficient way of treating the water, the wetland will also increase biodiversity in the area and attract a range of wildlife including bees and other pollinators, breeding birds, amphibians and reptiles. Yorkshire Water partners BarhaleDoosan JV and Stantec will be carrying out the design and construction of the wetland, which is expected to be completed in autumn 2021.
Michael Housby, lead project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: ‘This project is the first of its kind in Yorkshire and will provide a range of benefits at our Clifton treatment works, not only for the way we treat wastewater, but also for the local environment…As part of the project we will be looking to engage with the local community and plan to offer opportunities for local groups and schools to come to the treatment works to help plant some of the 20,000 plants that will carry this natural treatment.’
Case Studies
Case Studies
Case study: Peatland Restoration on Dartmoor, Duchy of Cornwall
Peatland is a precious habitat for nature and store of carbon, but for centuries it has been mined, drained and damaged. There are around 2,200 hectares of damaged peat on Duchy of Cornwall-owned land. 410 hectares have already been restored or are currently being restored. The latest project on Dartmoor will see a further 809 hectares restored. The remaining balance will be the subject of future programmes as the Duchy aims to halt emissions from damaged peatland before 2030.
The Duchy has joined forces with the South West Peatland Partnership (17 organisations associated with Dartmoor) which has secured funding via South West Water’s Green Recovery Initiative and from Defra’s Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme, to deliver a multi-million pound project to restore damaged peatland on the moors of Bodmin, Dartmoor and Exmoor. The Duchy has contributed significantly to this funding.
Restoration increases the peatland’s resilience to climate change, reduces emissions, and increases carbon storage. It safeguards water supply; reduces downstream flood risk; restores ecosystems and improves wildlife habitat; and helps people to better enjoy and understand our peatlands.
The Duchy is looking to stimulate and support the development of local businesses who will become suppliers into the peatland restoration and maintenance industry. From sourcing equipment to securing training opportunities and demonstrating a long-term commitment to using local contractors, the Duchy aims to generate jobs locally.
Case study: Ryevitalise Landscape Partnership, National Park Authorities
The majestic River Rye meanders through a variety of landscapes from moorland and upland farmland, through villages, and the arable and livestock farmland of the lowlands - once a lifeblood for communities, providing clean water, power and supporting an abundance of wildlife, but our connection to the River Rye is gradually being lost. Ryevitalise crosses boundaries: the river does not recognise these.
The Ryevitalise Landscape Partnership in North Yorkshire works with local communities, volunteers and land managers to restore and enhance the River Rye and its tributaries, as well as encouraging people to reconnect with the history, cultural heritage and wildlife of the area. The whole project area is 413 km2 (approximately 160 square miles). Nearly two-thirds (63%) is within the North York Moors National Park area and nearly one-quarter (23%) is in the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The remaining 15% is land outside of these Protected Landscapes, mostly arable farmland along the vale of Pickering. There are 532 miles of becks, streams and river!
Supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, North York Moors National Park Authority and other partners including disability groups and the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it is establishing Conservation Agreements with local land managers and delivering education activities to schools and outreach groups. They are also developing projects to improve water quality, training volunteers to undertake practical conservation tasks, as well as developing groups of Citizen Scientists to undertake species and habitat surveys.
Case Studies
Case study: Agroforestry on a Livestock Farm, Nature Friendly Farming Network
Nic and Paul Renison farm at Cannerheugh Farm on the edge of the Pennines overlooking the Eden Valley and the Lake District. Cannerheugh is a 350-acre upland farm with a mix of unimproved and improved pasture susceptible to the Helm Wind - a furious easterly wind and the only named wind in the UK. Agroforestry was an ideal land management approach that would provide their farm with windbreaks to prevent soil erosion and shelter for their livestock.
Nic says: “We moved to the farm in 2012 and our need for smaller fields and shelter led us to work with the Woodland Trust and some stewardship schemes. Planting started in 2014 and we have since planted over 2km of hedges (12,000 trees) and also riparian corridors and pockets of woodland around the main grazing block. On the fell ground, we have planted a 6ha block to protect a water course from erosion. We have used a mixture of species, all native, such as Oaks, Aspen, Willow, Blackthorn, Field Maple, Wild Rose, Hawthorn, Hazel, Bird Cherry, Scots Pine and Rowan.”
“The benefits increase as the years go on and our hedges are now nearly seven years old, providing much needed windbreaks and also shade from the sun. But this is only part of the story - bird life, insect life and general job satisfaction make this one of our best investments yet.”
“We combine our tree and hedge planting with mob grazing, which has created better grass growth and improved diversity, seen through the increase of clover which is beneficial to the sward by fixing nitrogen into the soil.”
“Ultimately, making space for woodland has helped us to make the farm more profitable. We have a reduced need for inputs and reduced lamb loss as our trees and hedges provide much needed shelter. Six years ago, we stopped using fertiliser, sprays and ivermectin. This has led to a continual improvement in biodiversity and soil health, which we measure by earthworm activity and dung beetle populations – all good indicators of soil health.”
Case Studies
Case study: Medmerry Nature Reserve, RSPB
Medmerry Nature Reserve, in West Sussex, sits on a section of England’s southern coastline which includes the small town of Selsey. This area was at extreme risk of flooding from high tides and storms. However, restoration of 183 hectares of intertidal habitat, including saltmarsh, means that Medmerry now provides not only some of the most important places for birds in Britain but cost-effective flood-risk management for 348 properties, for the local water treatment facility and for the only road to a local town servicing 5,000 residents. The new saltmarsh area also sequesters and stores carbon, helping to mitigate climate change, and helps the area to adapt to sea level rise and coastal erosion caused by climate change.
This was all achieved through a process known as managed realignment. This involves building new sea defences inland from the coast and allowing a new ‘intertidal’ area to form seaward of the intertidal defences. Natural intertidal habitats such as saltmarshes and mudflats would ordinarily absorb strong waves to reduce the depth and length of peak water levels and erosion from storm surges. When this habitat is lost, or when it is not able to move naturally inland as sea levels rise, coastal communities are put at much greater risk of flooding.
There have been significant economic benefits from the managed realignment at Medmerry. Maintenance of the previous coastal defences, a 3km shingle bank, was costing the Environment Agency £300,000 per year. The overall direct economic benefits are estimated at £90 million, compared with project cost of £28 million.
Local people are using this new, easily accessible green space to exercise and socialise and collectively help manage the reserve, which helps improve their health and mental wellbeing. The project has also helped to attract green tourism; based on the use of the car parks alone, it is estimated that there are at least 30,000 visitors a year. Local farmers are also able to get higher prices for the beef produced from the cattle that graze the saltmarsh grasses on site, given that the beef has a higher percentage of salt that is favoured by consumers.
Since the creation of the site, bird populations have flourished. The breeding and wintering populations of wading birds such as avocets, lapwings and oystercatchers have all increased significantly. Notably, avocets first bred at RSPB Medmerry in 2014, and in 2019, 22 pairs nested. Also in 2014, black-winged stilts bred, only the third successful breeding record in the whole of the UK.
Case Studies
Case study: Connecting the Culm, Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Connecting the Culm is a catchment-based partnership project working to tackle some significant challenges faced by the River Culm in Devon, running from January 2019 until December 2022. It is part of a larger Co-Adapt (climate change adaptation through co-creation) project, part funded by EU Interreg 2 Seas.
The partnership project aims to make the River Culm and its floodplain more resilient to flood and drought, using nature-based systems and approaches; improve water quality and biodiversity on the Culm (and consequently in the Exe and its estuary); and encourage people living in the catchment to feel more involved in decision-making and support the use of nature-based solutions to manage water.
The project will do this firstly by improving local people’s understanding of water management techniques and the function of the river/catchment ecosystem as an integrated whole. It will also create new opportunities for people to collaborate in addressing water management, leading to communities cooperating more effectively to address the challenges created by climate change. As part of this, it will install tangible demonstrations of appropriate nature-based solutions to build confidence, encourage cooperation and raise aspirations – these will be replicable and provide solutions that can be rolled out by the community. Finally, it will develop a Blueprint for the Culm, which will be the masterplan for the whole catchment for the next 25 years, co-created by the people that live and work within the catchment and the organisations that have a role in the area.
Case Studies
Key National Trust Contacts If you would like more information about this document, have any questions or queries, please do get in touch.
Katie Ramsey - Policy Officer E: [email protected]
Adam Royle - Head of Advocacy M: 07768 88 83 28 E: [email protected]
If you would like to sign up to these prinicples please get in touch
Signatories
Signatories believe that a climate-focused nature-based solution of the highest standard will:
1. Be implemented alongside, not instead of, urgent and meaningful action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate change and increase biodiversity, and be designed and monitored to ensure that there is a net gain of carbon sequestration.
2. Create or restore wildlife rich habitats and ecosystems to genuinely support nature’s recovery and provide long term biodiversity increases in a changing environment.
3. Wherever practical, be designed, implemented or managed in consultation with local communities to ensure they take account of past, present, and future landscape character.
4. Facilitate opportunities, wherever practical, to deliver benefits for communities and people, at a local and a national level, including to address the impacts of climate change upon people, communities, infrastructure and society.
5. Consider the location, ecology and the broader landscape, to put the right solution in the right place and deliver multiple benefits.
6. Be future-proofed and adaptively managed to ensure they are climate resilient and effective for generations to come.
Nature-Based Solutions Compact
What are nature-based solutions and why do they matter?
Nature-based solutions are land management interventions that use nature and natural ecosystems to deliver improvements against societal problems, providing multiple benefits for the public and for biodiversity. Widely recognised as a critical aspect of our response to climate change, examples of nature-based solutions include woodland creation, peatland restoration and coastal managed realignment.
The demands on our land are multiple; from sequestering carbon to supporting the livelihoods of many families, and from providing habitats for nature to producing the food and natural resources society needs to live prosperously. As the Committee on Climate Change states in their Sixth Carbon Budget, ‘Delivering emissions reduction should not be at the expense of increasing food imports that risk ‘carbon leakage’’. To ensure our small island can meet all of these needs, we must use the same plot of land to deliver against several demands. Nature-based solutions answer this challenge, as they deliver simultaneously against some of society’s most pressing challenges, including:
Reducing our greenhouse gas emissions – There is a global climate crisis and if we are to limit the ef- fects of climate change, we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions rapidly in the UK. Restoring peatlands, for example, reduces the loss of carbon to the atmosphere that occurs as the peat degrades.
Sequestering carbon – Woodlands, wetlands and saltmarsh are all habitats known to sequester carbon efficiently, but the restoration or creation of many other habitats will also make a contribution.
Reversing the loss of nature – With unprecedented declines in the abundance and distribution of the wildlife that underpins a healthy environment, we need to restore and create bigger and better habitats.
Restoring healthy soils, air and freshwaters – Targeted woodland establishment can reduce atmospheric pollution and soil erosion. Riparian buffers can help improve water quality and shade water bodies from increased temperatures.
Adapting to the effects of climate change – The effects of climate change have already negatively affected people, businesses and the places we love. Trees can provide shade in extreme heat, and floodplain meadows can be restored to store more water, alleviating flood risk downstream.
Addressing inequality of access to nature – Evidence shows that there are significant inequalities in people’s access to nature, often correlated to poverty and BME representation.
Improving public health and wellbeing – A growing body of evidence suggests that for those living in urban deserts, with reduced opportunity to connect with the natural world, the impact on their health and wellbeing is significant. More nature is needed within and close to cities.
Developing rural economic opportunities – Rural areas often struggle to retain young people because of limited local job opportunities. Land based rural economies such as local food markets, nature conservation and green access can generate local green jobs. Increasing supply of sustainable high quality, nature- and climate-friendly food and timber – Nature-based solutions can meet the multiple demands on our land for climate and nature improvements, while still delivering crops and livestock, and other natural materials, grown to high environmental and animal welfare standards. Domestic production of these goods ensures we are not reliant on imports, which frequently carry a higher carbon impact.
Nature Based Solutions Compact
Why do we need principles for nature-based solutions to climate change?
Nature-based solutions will be a key mechanism to tackle a broad number of issues, but they will be particularly useful in addressing climate change. While they alone cannot fix the climate crisis or alleviate all its effects, and we still also need to adopt ways of living that produce less carbon, nature-based solutions will play a crucial role in reaching the national Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions target and in helping us to adapt to the effects of climate change. Nature-based solutions, moreover, are an effective solution that can be deployed immediately, as opposed to other new technologies that are still being designed or tested. For nature-based solutions to have a lasting and effective impact, they will need to be designed well and deliver multiple benefits that embed them in the landscape and local communities.
That nature-based solutions provide these multiple benefits however - for people, climate and nature – cannot be taken for granted. If not properly planned and managed, solutions can be short lived or unsustainable. Moreover, if implementing climate solutions significantly reduces agricultural or natural resource production, we will only displace our emissions to other countries.
Thus, the National Trust, as a practitioner of nature-based solutions, has put together a set of ambitious guiding principles for land managers, to ensure that solutions deliver for nature, for the climate, and for everyone. The Trust hopes these principles will help encourage the development and uptake of nature-based solutions which meet the highest standards of delivery, are integrated into nature-friendly farming, and directly tackle the causes and effects of climate change. They represent our own understanding of a quality solution and have been learned from our practical experiences of implementing changes to our land use and land management.
Nature Based Solutions Compact
Using Our Principles
The principles are based on the Guidelines put together by Oxford University’s Nature-Based Solutions Institute and the IUCN’s Global Standard for Nature-Based Solutions, and are written in a way to ensure they are relevant to land managers in the UK. Accompanying case studies illuminate how this theory translates to practice. They are focused in particular on nature-based solutions that target sequestering carbon and adapting to the effects of climate change.
By signing this compact, these organisations pledge to seek to reach this high standard themselves and/ or to recommend this standard to their members. As land managers, however, we know that meeting this high standard is extremely challenging, and there are barriers that mean that at present it will not always be possible in the face of the urgent response that the threat of climate change demands. We also fully acknowledge the need for partnership working between landowner and tenant to be able to effect real change. However, these principles represent the gold standard we, the signatories, aspire to meet and will endeavour to do our best to achieve.
Signatories, as land-managers, need government support to consistently deliver this high standard of nature-based solutions. In particular, as they design the three tiers of the Environmental Land Management Scheme, the signatories urge government to keep in mind this compact and design a scheme that facilitates and incentivises this high-quality delivery. Moreover, we ask that those in local government refer to this compact also, particularly when designing the Local Nature Recovery Strategies, as these will be essential for integrating effective and high-quality nature-based solutions into the existing landscape.
Nature Based Solutions Compact
Nature Based Solutions Compact
Signatories believe that a climate-focused nature-based solution of the highest standard will:
Be implemented alongside, not instead of, urgent and meaningful action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, adapt to climate change and increase biodiversity, and be designed and monitored to ensure that there is a net gain of carbon sequestration.
1.
Create or restore wildlife rich habitats and ecosystems to genuinely support nature’s recovery and provide long term biodiversity increases in a changing environment.2.
The most pressing action we need to take to tackle climate change is to reduce the harmful emissions we release. Society, and particularly land managers, can do this, for example, by shifting towards renewable energy sources, using electric vehicles, making our buildings more energy efficient and reducing emissions from agriculture.
Nature-based solutions can complement such carbon reduction strategies and help reduce the impacts of existing and continuing emissions; however, we cannot use nature-based solutions to neutralise all the harmful emissions we are currently releasing. Reducing emissions and mitigation efforts, including nature-based solutions, will be crucial in reaching our national ambition of having net zero greenhouse gas emissions. Hence, for nature-based solutions to be meaningful in the fight against climate change, they must be accompanied by efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Nature-based solution should be implemented alongside, not instead of, existing and increased nature conservation policy, funding and action which is essential to turn around the loss of biodiversity in the UK. Implementing nature-based solutions will go a long way to creating new, nature-friendly habitats, but significant separate work is also needed to create the breadth of high-quality habitats required by our native species .
Land use changes and management practices of nature-based solutions can themselves generate emissions; steps should be taken to ensure that these emissions do not outweigh the carbon seques- tered by the solution. Where possible, baselining and monitoring should be put in place so the net emis- sions of the project can be understood and minimised.
Implementing nature-based solutions should not only deliver carbon sequestration, but also generate long-term improvements to biodiversity by creating new or restoring old habitats that wildlife will use. This will ensure that any solution implemented increases the number and abundance of species that benefit from the land.
Land managers should ensure that there is a net increase in the land managed for nature and the number of benefits delivered for biodiversity through nature-based solutions. This should be done by taking a baseline of wildlife abundance and frequent monitoring to ensure that the solution is genuinely delivering for native wildlife. Overall, any nature-based solution should contribute to the Government’s effort to halt and reverse species decline by 2030 and should be monitored to ensure this is achieved.
Wherever practical, be designed, implemented or managed in consultation with local communities to ensure they take account of past, present, and future landscape character.
3.
In some cases, to implement a nature-based solution, consultation with local communities is compulsory, but land managers, wherever practical, should aim to work in collaboration with local communities to ensure nature-based solutions are well understood and accepted. The multiple benefits that land managers can deliver to the environment and society are not always well-recognised. Implementing nature-based solutions offers an opportunity for an improved understanding between land managers and local communities on what good land stewardship can provide.
Respecting the existing landscape character will help to ensure the new solution is welcomed and is effective. This does not mean nothing can change, rather it means understanding what is important and special about local landscapes and interpreting this for current societal and environmental demands. The historic uses of the land as well as the needs of modern society must both be considered. Taking account of landscape character also includes protecting existing historic features and working with existing plans for the neighbourhood, such as the Local Nature Recovery Strategies in England.
Facilitate opportunities, wherever practical, to deliver benefits for communities and people, at a local and a national level, including to address the impacts of climate change upon people, communities, infrastructure and society.
4.
Beyond just working with local communities, implementing a nature-based solution provides the opportunity to deliver wider benefits to people, beyond carbon sequestration and habitat creation. This might include, for example, encouraging and facilitating local access to nature, by providing a path through newly planted woodland, or generating green jobs and apprenticeships in the local area.
In particular, nature-based solutions can be an essential delivery mechanism in helping society to adapt to more extreme weather conditions, rising sea levels and flooding, caused by climate change. These solutions are particularly beneficial because they often involve land managers working in close partnership with local people to reconnect them with and enhance the natural assets that underpin and protect their homes and livelihoods.
Nature Based Solutions Compact
Consider the location, ecology and the broader landscape, to put the right solution in the right place and deliver multiple benefits.5.
Any land management change will have consequences, so it is important to find the solution that maximises the benefits and balances the trade-offs. These benefits might include carbon sequestration, flood management, local community health, and increasing biodiversity. Nature-based solutions by definition will deliver multiple benefits across these categories and the best will be an effective mechanism to deliver against the multiple pressures on our land, from food production to providing new habitats. There will often be choices in the benefits a project can deliver and a fair, transparent, and inclusive process will be the best way to balance these.
Different areas will be better suited to different solutions. This means, for example, a landscape of deep peat will be better suited to rewetting, rather than using it as a place establish a new forest, because the former may store carbon more effectively and the latter might release carbon from the soil. Early consideration, through consultation with local and national experts, on where to put a solution can ensure multiple benefits are delivered.
The natural context of a plot of land will also be influenced by broader landscape-scale considerations, such as catchment areas, and these will also have a bearing on which solution is most appropriate. Land managers can look to plans and analysis of the local area, including Local Nature Recovery Strategies in England, to understand the potential of the land, how it could best be used, and how it could best compliment the surrounding landscape.
Employing a nature-based solution does not necessarily mean taking land out of agricultural production. In many cases, solutions can be implemented that increase or diversify agricultural production, while still delivering several benefits. Farmers should consider what part of their land is most suitable to employing a nature-based solution, both from the perspective of delivering more, bigger, better and more joined up nature, but also from an economic perspective.
Be future-proofed and adaptively managed to ensure they are climate resilient and effective for generations to come.6.
When implementing a nature-based solution, consideration should be given to the changes we will increasingly see to our land because of climate change. Already, temperatures are becoming more extreme and flooding and drought more commonplace and extensive, and these changes will only increase. Not only can nature-based solutions help to alleviate the effects of these changing weather patterns, but solutions should be implemented that will be sustainable in this new and changing environment . Adding regular review points into the management plan of a solution will ensure it is correctly adapted to changing circumstances.
We are still studying and learning about nature-based solutions, so it is very likely that new techniques will develop and new best practice will evolve as the evidence base grows. These should be applied; management of nature-based solutions must evolve with the science, as well as the climate. Innovation and testing of new techniques and natural technologies should be welcomed and this further requires fluid management and monitoring, to understand the effect new techniques deliver and adapt them to ensure positive outcomes. Management plans should also be flexible enough to react and make changes if monitoring reveals the project is not delivering the desired outcomes or if changing external factors have impacted the project’s effectiveness.
Nature Based Solutions Compact
Case study: Riverlands - Porlock Vale, National Trust
Inspired by successful river restoration projects in America, the National Trust piloted riverlands floodplain reconnection at our Holnicote estate, the first time the technique had been tried in the UK. This nature positive approach to restoration and land management works with natural processes to enrich biodiversity, store carbon, and slow and purify water.
As part of the Riverlands project at Porlock we’ve taken an innovative approach to river restoration. Using earth moving equipment we re-naturalised the flow of water of the River Allen across the landscape, infilled the historic drainage and used woody debris to develop more natural flow, giving water space and developing increased ecosystem function with benefits for people and nature.
The two-week restoration was undertaken in October 2019 and in just over a year we have achieved complex channel structure and vegetation, reconnection of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and slower flow with multiple smaller channels, pools, riffles and valuable wetland habitat. There have been benefits for wildlife through development of more complex and abundant ecosystems and creation of a mosaic of different habitats, providing a suitable home for species like the endangered water vole, bats and amphibians. The changesimplemented are developing a resilient landscape which is better at adapting to the challenges of climate change, acting as a buffer in times of flood and allowing aquifers to recharge in times of drought.
Future phases of the project will restore natural function to a significant part of the Allen catchment (over 130 ha) as well as a lower reach of the Hawkcombe river, where we’ll develop complex intertidal habitat by allowing the flow of the river out across its floodplain - delivering improved habitats for nature and resilience to the effects of climate change. This work is being combined with wider landscape interventions. We’ll support farmers to demonstrate an economically and environmentally sustainable approach to farming that promotes biodiversity and supports ‘net-zero’ targets, for example working with local farmers to deliver conservation grazing with native breed livestock over more than 2500 ha of National Trust owned land.
Case Studies
Case study: Warroch Hill Woodland Creation, Church Commissioners for England
Warroch Hill, a marginal 1,069-acre hill farm in the Ochil Hills of Perthshire, had been used for low intensity livestock grazing for decades. It was identified as land with high potential for woodland creation which would deliver multiple benefits, including production of construction-grade timber and improvements for biodiversity, landscape, and amenity value.
An extensive range of environmental, wildlife and impact surveys were undertaken to establish any site sensitivities, including surveys for birds, rare vegetation and archaeological remains. The new woodland was designed to meet the UK Forestry Standard, ensuring key elements of sustainability were met in relation to biodiversity, climate change, historic environment, landscape, people, soil, and water.
Planting was undertaken in two phases – in 2014 and 2020 – creating an aggregate 819 acres of new woodland, of which 157 acres are a variety of native broadleaves and open ground. In total, over 750,000 new trees were planted. A small area of peat at the very top of the hill was left unplanted for carbon retention. The Warroch Hill woodland creation scheme was one of the first to provide a specific diffuse pollution plan to mitigate against the potential for diffuse pollution into nearby Loch Leven. As part of the works, existing private water supplies were augmented in collaboration with the local residents.
As testament to the quality of woodland establishment, Warroch Hill won the James Jones Trophy at Scotland’s Finest Woods Awards in 2015 for best new commercial woodland planting in Scotland. The woodland is certified through UK Woodland Assurance Standard, an independent certification standard for verifying sustainable woodland management. Any trees harvested in the future will be certified by FSC as sustainably produced and will aim to maximise long-life carbon sequestration in construction-grade timber, reducing reliance on imported timber. New trees will be planted in their place to ensure a sustainable, renewable supply.
Case Studies
Photograph showing a well-established native broadleaf element planted along the watercourse at the bottom of Warroch Hill, phasing into a diverse coniferous woodland in the far right of the photograph.
Case study: Clifton Wastewater Treatment Works, Yorkshire Water
Yorkshire Water is set to create a new integrated constructed wetland at its Clifton wastewater treatment works, near Doncaster, which will provide a natural, sustainable and low-carbon way to treat water before returning it to the environment.
An area approximately the size of three Olympic swimming pools featuring interconnected ponds will be constructed and planted with over 20,000 wetland plants. The wetland will help remove phosphorus from millions of litres of treated water. The natural filtering process will further improve the quality of water being returned to the environment.
As well as providing a sustainable and energy-efficient way of treating the water, the wetland will also increase biodiversity in the area and attract a range of wildlife including bees and other pollinators, breeding birds, amphibians and reptiles. Yorkshire Water partners BarhaleDoosan JV and Stantec will be carrying out the design and construction of the wetland, which is expected to be completed in autumn 2021.
Michael Housby, lead project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: ‘This project is the first of its kind in Yorkshire and will provide a range of benefits at our Clifton treatment works, not only for the way we treat wastewater, but also for the local environment…As part of the project we will be looking to engage with the local community and plan to offer opportunities for local groups and schools to come to the treatment works to help plant some of the 20,000 plants that will carry this natural treatment.’
Case Studies
Case Studies
Case study: Peatland Restoration on Dartmoor, Duchy of Cornwall
Peatland is a precious habitat for nature and store of carbon, but for centuries it has been mined, drained and damaged. There are around 2,200 hectares of damaged peat on Duchy of Cornwall-owned land. 410 hectares have already been restored or are currently being restored. The latest project on Dartmoor will see a further 809 hectares restored. The remaining balance will be the subject of future programmes as the Duchy aims to halt emissions from damaged peatland before 2030.
The Duchy has joined forces with the South West Peatland Partnership (17 organisations associated with Dartmoor) which has secured funding via South West Water’s Green Recovery Initiative and from Defra’s Nature for Climate Peatland Grant Scheme, to deliver a multi-million pound project to restore damaged peatland on the moors of Bodmin, Dartmoor and Exmoor. The Duchy has contributed significantly to this funding.
Restoration increases the peatland’s resilience to climate change, reduces emissions, and increases carbon storage. It safeguards water supply; reduces downstream flood risk; restores ecosystems and improves wildlife habitat; and helps people to better enjoy and understand our peatlands.
The Duchy is looking to stimulate and support the development of local businesses who will become suppliers into the peatland restoration and maintenance industry. From sourcing equipment to securing training opportunities and demonstrating a long-term commitment to using local contractors, the Duchy aims to generate jobs locally.
Case study: Ryevitalise Landscape Partnership, National Park Authorities
The majestic River Rye meanders through a variety of landscapes from moorland and upland farmland, through villages, and the arable and livestock farmland of the lowlands - once a lifeblood for communities, providing clean water, power and supporting an abundance of wildlife, but our connection to the River Rye is gradually being lost. Ryevitalise crosses boundaries: the river does not recognise these.
The Ryevitalise Landscape Partnership in North Yorkshire works with local communities, volunteers and land managers to restore and enhance the River Rye and its tributaries, as well as encouraging people to reconnect with the history, cultural heritage and wildlife of the area. The whole project area is 413 km2 (approximately 160 square miles). Nearly two-thirds (63%) is within the North York Moors National Park area and nearly one-quarter (23%) is in the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The remaining 15% is land outside of these Protected Landscapes, mostly arable farmland along the vale of Pickering. There are 532 miles of becks, streams and river!
Supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, North York Moors National Park Authority and other partners including disability groups and the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, it is establishing Conservation Agreements with local land managers and delivering education activities to schools and outreach groups. They are also developing projects to improve water quality, training volunteers to undertake practical conservation tasks, as well as developing groups of Citizen Scientists to undertake species and habitat surveys.
Case Studies
Case study: Agroforestry on a Livestock Farm, Nature Friendly Farming Network
Nic and Paul Renison farm at Cannerheugh Farm on the edge of the Pennines overlooking the Eden Valley and the Lake District. Cannerheugh is a 350-acre upland farm with a mix of unimproved and improved pasture susceptible to the Helm Wind - a furious easterly wind and the only named wind in the UK. Agroforestry was an ideal land management approach that would provide their farm with windbreaks to prevent soil erosion and shelter for their livestock.
Nic says: “We moved to the farm in 2012 and our need for smaller fields and shelter led us to work with the Woodland Trust and some stewardship schemes. Planting started in 2014 and we have since planted over 2km of hedges (12,000 trees) and also riparian corridors and pockets of woodland around the main grazing block. On the fell ground, we have planted a 6ha block to protect a water course from erosion. We have used a mixture of species, all native, such as Oaks, Aspen, Willow, Blackthorn, Field Maple, Wild Rose, Hawthorn, Hazel, Bird Cherry, Scots Pine and Rowan.”
“The benefits increase as the years go on and our hedges are now nearly seven years old, providing much needed windbreaks and also shade from the sun. But this is only part of the story - bird life, insect life and general job satisfaction make this one of our best investments yet.”
“We combine our tree and hedge planting with mob grazing, which has created better grass growth and improved diversity, seen through the increase of clover which is beneficial to the sward by fixing nitrogen into the soil.”
“Ultimately, making space for woodland has helped us to make the farm more profitable. We have a reduced need for inputs and reduced lamb loss as our trees and hedges provide much needed shelter. Six years ago, we stopped using fertiliser, sprays and ivermectin. This has led to a continual improvement in biodiversity and soil health, which we measure by earthworm activity and dung beetle populations – all good indicators of soil health.”
Case Studies
Case study: Medmerry Nature Reserve, RSPB
Medmerry Nature Reserve, in West Sussex, sits on a section of England’s southern coastline which includes the small town of Selsey. This area was at extreme risk of flooding from high tides and storms. However, restoration of 183 hectares of intertidal habitat, including saltmarsh, means that Medmerry now provides not only some of the most important places for birds in Britain but cost-effective flood-risk management for 348 properties, for the local water treatment facility and for the only road to a local town servicing 5,000 residents. The new saltmarsh area also sequesters and stores carbon, helping to mitigate climate change, and helps the area to adapt to sea level rise and coastal erosion caused by climate change.
This was all achieved through a process known as managed realignment. This involves building new sea defences inland from the coast and allowing a new ‘intertidal’ area to form seaward of the intertidal defences. Natural intertidal habitats such as saltmarshes and mudflats would ordinarily absorb strong waves to reduce the depth and length of peak water levels and erosion from storm surges. When this habitat is lost, or when it is not able to move naturally inland as sea levels rise, coastal communities are put at much greater risk of flooding.
There have been significant economic benefits from the managed realignment at Medmerry. Maintenance of the previous coastal defences, a 3km shingle bank, was costing the Environment Agency £300,000 per year. The overall direct economic benefits are estimated at £90 million, compared with project cost of £28 million.
Local people are using this new, easily accessible green space to exercise and socialise and collectively help manage the reserve, which helps improve their health and mental wellbeing. The project has also helped to attract green tourism; based on the use of the car parks alone, it is estimated that there are at least 30,000 visitors a year. Local farmers are also able to get higher prices for the beef produced from the cattle that graze the saltmarsh grasses on site, given that the beef has a higher percentage of salt that is favoured by consumers.
Since the creation of the site, bird populations have flourished. The breeding and wintering populations of wading birds such as avocets, lapwings and oystercatchers have all increased significantly. Notably, avocets first bred at RSPB Medmerry in 2014, and in 2019, 22 pairs nested. Also in 2014, black-winged stilts bred, only the third successful breeding record in the whole of the UK.
Case Studies
Case study: Connecting the Culm, Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Connecting the Culm is a catchment-based partnership project working to tackle some significant challenges faced by the River Culm in Devon, running from January 2019 until December 2022. It is part of a larger Co-Adapt (climate change adaptation through co-creation) project, part funded by EU Interreg 2 Seas.
The partnership project aims to make the River Culm and its floodplain more resilient to flood and drought, using nature-based systems and approaches; improve water quality and biodiversity on the Culm (and consequently in the Exe and its estuary); and encourage people living in the catchment to feel more involved in decision-making and support the use of nature-based solutions to manage water.
The project will do this firstly by improving local people’s understanding of water management techniques and the function of the river/catchment ecosystem as an integrated whole. It will also create new opportunities for people to collaborate in addressing water management, leading to communities cooperating more effectively to address the challenges created by climate change. As part of this, it will install tangible demonstrations of appropriate nature-based solutions to build confidence, encourage cooperation and raise aspirations – these will be replicable and provide solutions that can be rolled out by the community. Finally, it will develop a Blueprint for the Culm, which will be the masterplan for the whole catchment for the next 25 years, co-created by the people that live and work within the catchment and the organisations that have a role in the area.
Case Studies
Key National Trust Contacts If you would like more information about this document, have any questions or queries, please do get in touch.
Katie Ramsey - Policy Officer E: [email protected]
Adam Royle - Head of Advocacy M: 07768 88 83 28 E: [email protected]
If you would like to sign up to these prinicples please get in touch
Signatories