“Our economy relies on natural resources and a whole range of benefits that nature supplies…. Society has taken nature and its benefits for granted which means they are not costed in the economy and are underrepresented in decision making. This results in decisions that cause damage to nature and increases risks for the economy and society into the future.”

Our farmers and rural land managers are well-placed to help the Secretary of State to deliver on his 5 core priorities, provided that it makes business sense for them to do so.

25th March is Lady Day, one of the traditional Quarter Days when agricultural rents were due and new tenancies began on livestock farms, so it seems an appropriate date to look forward with a sense of hope and consider what is coming up in the world of natural capital.

Will 2024 be the year when we start to make biodiversity count?

Why is BNG like an onion…?

Almost two years ago I wrote a blogpost with the heading “Lost in the Maze” and sometimes it feels as though we’re still trying to find our way out of the labyrinth of environmental and agricultural policy, confounded from time to time by a Government which dithers over its commitment. However we are making progress and here’s how:

The planned start date for statutory Biodiversity Net Gain is now only 3 months away and last week saw a flurry of announcements and updates.

As I drove north towards Cumbria on the M6 recently I saw the proliferation of tree planting on the hills as the motorway followed the Lune Valley through the Howgills and up towards Shap summit.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies are to be an integral part of the Government’s commitment to environmental enhancement and improvement.

Government announcements on environmental restoration are coming thick and fast this spring and now, in the face of growing public pressure over the condition of our rivers, Defra has published a Plan for Water.