Green Investment in Greater Lincolnshire

Joshua Copping

Green Investment in Greater Lincolnshire (GIGL)

The mission of this project is to create a market in natural environment asset trading across Greater Lincolnshire. We are hoping to ensure a prosperous green investment economy that delivers for people and wildlife in Lincolnshire that is fair, equitable and transparent for all concerned.

Ecosystem Services Trading

Ecosystem services are the benefits that humans get from the natural world (such as clean water and carbon storage) that make human life possible. Having a healthy natural environment promotes ecosystem services. Human activities can undermine the environment and therefore the services it provides, which is why we are facing a global biodiversity and climate crises.

Various industries and organisations are looking to reduce their impacts on the natural environment and the services it provides, they wish to investment in a better world and look for nature-based solutions to mitigate their impacts.

Natural assets that can be traded include biodiversity, carbon and water credits. The money that is paid for these credits is used to fund nature-based solution and nature recovery projects that create or protect habitats that deliver multiple ecosystems services. Examples being: storing carbon, increasing habitats for pollinators, or improving water quality in an area.

If we get the green investment structures right for Greater Lincolnshire, we will create wildlife rich networks that provide multiple benefits for people and wildlife.

Tammy Smalley
Head of Conservation, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust

Matthew Roberts

Kieron Huston

Lakenheath Fen. Terry Whittaker/2020VISION

Ecosystem Services in Lincolnshire

Greater Lincolnshire is nationally important for food production, producing over 12% of the UK’s food supply, and the rivers drain 40% or more of England – two major ecosystem services. But can we innovate in these areas through ecosystem services credit investment to ensure these deliver more than what they do now?

There is a lot of activity in Greater Lincolnshire that impacts the natural world, for example, the Humber is the largest carbon emitting cluster in the UK and there is a commitment to build 100,000 new dwellings by 2031. Nature in Greater Lincolnshire has been depleted, including a 99% loss of historic fenland.

Project FAQs

What are the aims of the project?

The aim of this project is to improve the financial resilience of the natural environment sector and increase the overall level of funding available by stimulating private sector investment.

Why is this project happening in Lincolnshire?

Greater Lincolnshire has a national importance for food production and water catchment drainage. There are a variety of human activities in Lincolnshire that impact the natural world, which can be addressed by nature-based solutions delivered through purchasing ecosystem service credits. The new markets created by this project will allow a fair, equitable and transparent and make up for environmental impacts by supporting nature recovery in Lincolnshire.

Who is involved?

We are working with the local enterprise and nature partnerships in Greater Lincolnshire, statutory bodies, local planning authorities, landowners/managers, researchers, industry, housing developers, a variety of private business and industry sector bodies and individuals, and more to deliver this project.

Who is funding the project?

The Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF) is a pioneering, capacity and capability-building grant scheme administered by the Environment Agency. The grants enable market development and create a pipeline of natural environment projects that achieve the challenges of supporting the 25 Year Environment Plan (25YEP), natural environment outcomes and targets, and generating revenue from ecosystem services to attract and repay private sector investment.

Vision Conference

In March 2022, we held a Vision Conference to explore the issues, barriers and solutions of ecosystem services trading, and to start the process of establishing a market to trade in credits for biodiversity, carbon and water within Greater Lincolnshire.

Below are the presentations from our speakers as well as the conference outcome report available to download.

Speakers presentations

Vision Conference Report

Vision Conference Report June 2022 (https://www.lincstrust.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-07/Vision%20Conference%20Report%20%20FV%20June%202022.pdf)

A partnership approach

The Green Investment in Greater Lincolnshire project is funded by the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF) and is led by Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust with the support from a collaboration of several partners including the Environment Agency, Anglian Water, Humber Nature Partnership, CATCH, and Lincolnshire County Council.