Our Project

Investing in Nature in the Liverpool City Region

The project focused on developing a model for investment in nature recovery in the Liverpool City Region (LCR). It was led by the LCR Combined Authority and steered by Merseyside Environmental Advisory Service (MEAS), LJMU, Pure Leap Frog, and Chris Bowden Consultants; there were several wider project partners.

The project closed in Autumn 2023, but the outcomes and legacy will continue to benefit nature in the Liverpool City Region into the future. The implementation of mandatory BNG from 2024 poses significant opportunities to halt the decline of biodiversity in the region, and begin to rebuild natural resilience.  The project sought to provide mechanisms to maximise this opportunity. The key outcomes will help to inform how the region responds to the demands of BNG and other similar natural capital markets; and to address wider challenges such as the climate crisis.

This website is designed as an online resource for people and organisations in the nature recovery, development, and Local Authority sectors, and aims to provide support for those involved with nature recovery and the existing and emerging natural capital markets

Our Project Aims

The project goal was to develop a new habitat banking model to deliver Biodiversity and Environmental Net Gain in line with the Environment Bill 2021 requirements. This can be broken down into six aims:

  1. Explore and identify habitat creation and restoration opportunities following ecological priorities
  2. Use multiple benefit modelling to identify habitat interventions with wider natural capital benefits
  3. Assess the potential BNG market based on Local Plan allocations
  4. . Develop an investment model for Biodiversity Units and other nature-based markets
  5. Build a business case for the investment model that maximises opportunities on the ground.
  6. Develop a habitat banking platform for the LCR

Project Sites

Three Nature Improvement Areas in the Liverpool City Region were selected as the focus areas for the project, these span the districts of Sefton, Knowsley, Liverpool, and St Helens.

These areas were selected as they are Council or partner owned, or managed, and therefore have the potential for successful and rapid delivery. NIA’s were originally identified as part of the LCR ecological network, and will form the basis of the forthcoming Local Nature Recovery Strategy.

River Alt Corridor NIA

River Alt M57 Corridor NIA

Black Brook Sankey Valley Corridor NIA

Key Outcomes

  • A Seller’s Guide for landowners/managers wishing to monetise ecosystem services.
  • A guide on the buyer and investor business cases, with a focus on the BNG market
  • Interactive opportunity map for habitat interventions in the target NIAs.
  • An interactive map of offsite BU providers within the LCR, to be developed into a marketplace.

What is NEIRF?

The Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF) supports the government’s goals in the 25 year environment plan, green finance strategy and 10 point plan for a green industrial revolution. It aims to stimulate private investment and market based mechanisms that improve and safeguard our domestic natural environment by helping projects get ready for investment. It grants funding to projects which;

  • help achieve one or more natural environmental outcomes from the 25 year environment plan
  • have the ability to produce revenue from ecosystem services to attract and repay investment
  • produce an investment model that can be scaled up and reproduced