Natural capital

Natural capital is currently at the front of the minds of land managers. We believe there will be a number of ways for income to be generated into estate budgets by taking steps to improve the environment. 

Management and advice

Putting land into an environmental scheme may not always be the best use of land, financially or from a wider strategic perspective. Carter Jonas works with landowners to understand their requirements and vision for their estate and can advise on the right land use to match client expectations.

As the legislation and regulation emerges, we are keeping a close eye on how this will affect our clients across all sectors and are advising appropriately.

Carter Jonas, with a nationwide team of experts in both rural land management and planning and development consultancy, as well as valuation, is well placed to help both landowners and developers in navigating the intricacies of the various sources of income from natural capital both from the private and public sector.

Private sector funded initiatives

Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)

Under the Environment Act and the NPPF, developers will soon be required to leave the biodiversity relating to a development site in a better state than before they undertook the development; this is known as biodiversity net gain. Some local authorities already have BNG policies in place. Where it’s not possible or viable to achieve this onsite, this presents an opportunity for landowners who can implement an environmental improvement on their land in return for a payment from the developer.

Carter Jonas has a long legacy of managing rural land and currently has 1.3 million acres under management. This, combined with a planning and development team who is currently advising on 23,000 acres of potential development land, with the capacity for 100,000 new homes, puts Carter Jonas in an unrivalled position to match developers with landowners for mutual benefit. 

Carter Jonas Natural Capital Exchange is a central point for those seeking and providing environmental services or credits to meet and trade.

Carbon offsetting

Businesses looking to reduce their carbon footprint can do so by making a payment to a landowner in return for implementing a change to their land use practice which facilitates the capture of more carbon. 

Thanks to our legacy of rural land management, we are well placed to match businesses looking to offset all or some of their carbon production with interested farmers and landowners. To register to be part of a scheme, please email us.

Goverment sector funded initiatives

Natural Capital is also a source of income for farmers and landowners through the government’s Countryside Stewardship Scheme, which provides financial payments to farmers for managing their land in a way that provides environmental protection or benefit, including boosting wildlife and biodiversity, protecting water and soil, allowing public access and managing flood risk. 

Government support post-Brexit will move away from direct payments to farmers for farming land, to a system where payments can be made for providing public benefits. 

Carter Jonas is tracking progress of the new agricultural policy, including the flagship ELMS (Environmental Land Management Scheme). 

 Find out more about the evolving policy here.

Latest news

• Some local authorities have put in place a nutrient neutrality requirement for planning applications. Find out how this is affecting development in Somerset.
• What farming grant funding is available in 2022? James Bradley summarises two types of Defra funding.
• The Carter Jonas Model Estate is looking into natural capital as a new asset class. Find out what they’re considering here.
• Carter Jonas has carried out analysis into which local authorities have started to incorporate biodiversity net gain into their planning frameworks. See the research here.