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Select Committee · Environmental Audit Committee

The role of natural capital in the green economy [revived]

Status: Open Opened: 13 Nov 2024 19 recommendations 16 conclusions 1 report

The Environmental Audit Committee in the 2024 Parliament has revived the predecessor Committee's inquiry into the current and potential future role of natural capital in the green economy, and the Government’s proposals to increase private investment in measures to support nature recovery. Read the call for evidence for more information about this revived inquiry.

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
1st Report – The role of natural capital in the UK's green … HC 501 7 May 2025 35 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

5 items
9 Conclusion 1st Report – The role of natural capita… Deferred

Government has clear role encouraging landowners to increase natural capital assets for market supply.

There is a clear role for Government in encouraging landowners and land managers to engage in the use of land to increase the stock of natural capital assets. One way to do this is through incentivising the allocation of land to natural capital schemes, thereby developing their supply to the …

Government response. The government states that responses to the Land Use Consultation and a call for evidence published in June 2025 are informing its approach to incentive design for nature recovery.
13 Conclusion 1st Report – The role of natural capita… Deferred

Remove barriers, review incentives, and prioritise offsite BNG for land managers

To ensure the effective delivery of its commitments to protect 30% of land in England for nature, the Government will need to consider how to make environmental land management more accessible and attractive to landowners and land managers. This will require the removal of any existing barriers to engagement and …

Government response. The government states that responses to the Land Use Consultation and a call for evidence published in June 2025 are informing its approach to incentive design and engagement for nature recovery.
14 Recommendation 1st Report – The role of natural capita… Deferred

Undertake thorough review of incentives for allocating private land to nature recovery

We recommend that as part of the forthcoming Land Use Framework the Government undertake a thorough review of its approach to incentivising the allocation of privately held land to nature recovery, in particular in respect of changes of use of agricultural land to deliver more environmental benefits alongside agricultural production, …

Government response. The government states that responses to the Land Use Consultation and a call for evidence published in June 2025 are informing its approach to incentive design for nature recovery.
16 Recommendation 1st Report – The role of natural capita… Deferred

Clarify ‘effective means’ of protection, monitoring, and recourse for 30by30 land

We recommend that in its response to this report the Government clarify— • what it considers to be ‘effective means’ of protection against loss or damage to important biodiversity values for the purposes of designating land in England as ‘protected’ for the purposes of the 30by30 commitment; 57 • how …

Government response. The government is developing detailed guidance and an assessment/reporting process for its 30by30 commitments and plans to publish these, along with its action plan, later in 2025.
19 Recommendation 1st Report – The role of natural capita… Deferred

Publish urgent plans for investing revenues from BNG credit sales

We are concerned to note that the Government has not yet published full details of its approach to the investment of revenues from the sale of BNG credits. The Government must demonstrate that it is committed to this approach to nature renewal, rather than treating it as another source of …

Government response. The government states it is legally obligated to spend BNG credit income on habitat projects and is working to design a transparent allocation method, with more details to be announced in due course.

Oral evidence sessions

2 sessions
Date Witnesses
18 Dec 2024 Dr Will Lockhart OBE · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Helen Edmundson · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Mary Creagh CBE MP · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs View ↗
4 Dec 2024 Alan Carter · The Land Trust, Dr Heather Plumpton · Green Alliance, Helen Avery · Green Finance Institute, Judicaelle Hammond · Country Land and Business Association, Kate McGavin · National Wealth Fund, Rt Hon Philip Dunne · Environmental Audit Select Committee View ↗

Correspondence

4 letters
DateDirectionTitle
16 Oct 2025 To cttee Letter from the Chief Secretary to the Treasury relating to the environmental …
4 Sep 2025 To cttee Letter from the Under Secretary of State for Nature relating to the Role of Nat…
4 Sep 2025 From cttee Letter to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs relati…
22 Jul 2025 To cttee Letter from the Chair to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural…