Trust benefits from government cash boost

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is celebrating after receiving a cash boost from a pioneering government fund to drive private investment in nature and tackle climate change.

The trust’s project is among 50 schemes to benefit from the final round of the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund.

Launched by Defra and the Environment Agency, it offers grants of up to £100,000 to environmental groups, local authorities, businesses and other organisations to help them develop nature projects to a point where they can attract private investment.

The funding aims to help develop projects so they can demonstrate a return on that investment by capturing the value of carbon, water quality, biodiversity and other benefits provided by natural assets such as woodlands, peatlands and rivers.

Revenue is generated through the sale of carbon storage, improvements in biodiversity, natural flood management benefits and reduced water treatment costs.

The primary purpose of Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s scheme, known as Derbyshire’s Nature Recovery and Natural Capital Investment Aggregator, will be to facilitate nature’s recovery across Derbyshire by making and protecting more space for nature.

Matt Buckler, head of wilder landscapes at Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, said: “We are delighted to have been awarded funds from NEIRF to move our Aggregator project forward.

“There are several upcoming schemes and income-generating mechanisms such as Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), Carbon Credits and Phosphate Capture, which pose significant opportunities for the trust to generate income through rewilding, accelerating the delivery of our local nature recovery strategies to make much more space for nature.

“As a key provider and protector of wildlife in Derbyshire, our priority is to ensure that these schemes deliver the most effective solutions for society and nature.

“Using our specialist local knowledge and expertise, we are uniquely positioned to deliver high quality natural spaces that can benefit nature and generate the wider ecosystem services that society needs.”