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National Parks Team Up To Secure Nature Restoration Funding
The various National Parks around Britain have come together and joined forces with global impact firm Palladium to secure nature restoration funding of £239 million, in support of the government’s climate change target of cutting emissions by 78 per cent by 2035.
The aim of the collaboration is to unlock one of the biggest environmental challenges facing the UK – how to create a sustainable funding model for at-scale nature restoration. While the parks do have the necessary knowledge and experience to deliver conservation projects, they have struggled in the past to raise the necessary funds.
There are 15 National Parks in the UK – ten in England, three in Wales and two in Scotland – and they’re all designated protected landscapes because of their natural beauty, varied wildlife and cultural heritage.
Palladium itself designs sustainable business models in the Amazon and elsewhere around the world and will be helping the parks find innovative ways of securing the finance required to repair damaged peatlands and grasslands, habitat creation, and woodland planting and management.
The monetisation of ecosystem services means that the partnership will be able to restore nature across the parks, mitigating climate change, supporting biodiversity, improving water quality, reducing flood risk downstream and supporting local job creation.
Current UK lead for National Parks Gordon Watson, (also CEO of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park), said: “Our collaboration with Palladium is enabling the UK’s National Parks to shape and strengthen how we can solve some of today’s most pressing environmental challenges.
“Restoring our landscapes at scale will reduce CO2, mitigate flood risks, enhance biodiversity and help rural economies. We’re excited by the progress we’re already making together with Palladium and plan to announce more in the run up to COP26.”
The UK is due to hold the 26th UN Climate Change Conference this year in Glasgow, taking place between November 1st and 12th. Glasgow itself has a target of 2030 for carbon neutrality and aims to be one of Europe’s greenest cities through its Sustainable Glasgow campaign, so it’s the perfect place to hold COP26.
It will be a carbon-neutral conference with sustainability at the heart of proceedings. The approach will be guided by the COP26 Sustainability Governing Principles by providing an accessible and inclusive setting, managing potential environmental impacts, encouraging healthy living and more sustainable behaviour, and promoting the use of responsible use of resources across the supply chain.
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