The UK's natural environment is one of the country's greatest economic assets - valued at over £1.5 trillion in 2023, delivering more than £36 billion in economic benefits every year.
Yet nature remains under pressure. And public spending alone cannot restore it at the scale or pace required. Private sector action is essential.
Last month, I had the pleasure of attending IPBES12 – hosted by the UK – where more than 140 governments agreed that all businesses depend on, and impact, biodiversity.
And the Government is clear that to achieve the ambitious goals set out in its Environmental Improvement Plan – like restoring 250,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat by 2030 – we need a whole-economy approach.
I’m Will Lockhart, Deputy Director for Nature Markets and Investment at Defra, and in this post, I’m going to tell you about how announcements we are making today help channel business ambition and make it easier for them to pay for the benefits and services that nature provides.
Defra SoS hosts nature investment roundtable with key stakeholders
Today, the Secretary of State brought together leading investors and major businesses for a roundtable to discuss three key publications that will help set the right conditions for investment to flow.
Senior representatives from the finance, retail, utilities and food sectors were joined by the British Standards Institution (BSI), Environment Bank and Evenlode Landscape Recovery, to discuss two key questions: what are the greatest opportunities for private investment in nature recovery, and how can buyers and investors work together to build trust in nature markets?
The message from the room was clear: the opportunity is here, but unlocking it requires certainty, integrity, and a government prepared to be a genuine partner in making these markets work.
New world-leading standards for nature markets
Until now, nature projects have delivered outcomes according to sets of self-determined standards, measurements and rules – making it harder for investors to compare options or even trust that the environmental benefits being sold are real. These standards change that, establishing consistent requirements for how nature projects should be designed, measured and reported.
The centrepiece of today's announcements is the launch of two new standards from the British Standards Institution which set market-specific requirements for biodiversity and nutrient markets that define exactly how credits must be measured and reported. These standards are the Biodiversity markets (Flex 702) and Nutrient markets (Flex 704).
We are also launching a public consultation on a new Communities Code of Practice (Flex 705), which will give natural capital projects a comprehensive framework for community engagement and benefit sharing - enabling them to demonstrate good practice to the buyers, investors and other stakeholders who value such an approach.
Together with last year's Overarching Principles standard (Flex 701), these form the most comprehensive suite of Nature Market Standards anywhere in the world.
And to support the uptake of these Standards, BSI is also today publishing Assessment Guidance that translates the Standards into practical, actionable steps for nature project developers.
What we heard from the Call for Evidence on private investment in nature
Last year, the Government ran a Call for Evidence on expanding the role of the private sector in nature recovery, receiving 169 responses from banks, businesses, investors, water companies, supermarkets, farmers, environmental organisations and more. Today, we’re publishing a summary of those responses.
The evidence is clear: there is strong appetite for private investment in nature, but investors want long-term certainty, a more streamlined governance and regulatory framework, and a role for government in de-risking early investment through blended finance.
What we heard on voluntary carbon and nature markets
And finally, this week we will also publish a summary of what respondents told us in response to the consultation we ran last year on voluntary carbon and nature markets. Collectively, respondents told us about the importance of high integrity markets, clarity, consistency and transparency. A full government response will follow in summer 2026.
A milestone, not a finish line
Today's publications mark real progress.
For the first time, the UK has a consistent, trusted standards framework that can support investment in nature, give buyers and investors confidence, and ensure that environmental improvements are genuine. And businesses and the wider environmental community are working in partnership with government to develop market rules that work for everyone.
There is more work ahead. But today moves us forward together.
Explore the full suite of BSI Nature Investment Standards, including the new Assessment Guidance, and join the hub at the BSI Nature Investments Hub.
And for more information on the Call for Evidence Government response, please read our summary of responses.
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