Stakeholders call for £200m nature-based green recovery

Multi-stakeholder group, the Broadway Initiative, has called on the government to support a green recovery by injecting £100m in nature based projects, to leverage a further £100m of private investment.

In Accelerating private investment in nature based solutions the Broadway Initiative has sought public “cornerstone funding” for 12-20 catchment or city scale demonstration projects across the country. Seven of these would have a significant water company involvement, and more widely, the report envisaged a major role for water firms including potentially as funding administrators and catchment delivery coordinators.

The Broadway Initiative argued such nature-based projects would not only help support the economic recovery but also to meet 25 Year Environment Plan goals and the net zero emissions target, and position the UK as a world leader in financing action on climate change and nature recovery.

Wessex Water, EnTrade and Water UK were involved in the development of the proposal alongside other business groups representing sectors directly involved in nature-based solutions to environmental problems.