The speed of change surrounding all things related to Net Zero and the many concepts that fit under its umbrella – natural capital, decarbonisation, sustainable and regenerative farming, biodiversity net gain, rewilding, carbon offsetting, peatland restoration – is huge.
What went from something seen as a fringe interest has become mainstream and is now an emerging focus of government support. This is energising those involved in rural land to ask the question: “What should we do about it?”
Although the opportunities are great, the challenge for many of these projects is in finding a way to harness the benefits in a legally enforceable way. Moreover, new policies and regulations, and an increasing public awareness around these types of issues, have the potential to cause financial and reputational damage for those not managing these projects appropriately.
How can we help?
Although some of the terminology might be new, experts in our leading Net Zero, Environmental and agriculture and estates practices have been advising our clients on sustainable land use projects for decades and are truly at the forefront of this sector. We have a wide breadth and depth of experience helping landowners, institutions, corporates, brokers, utilities and public bodies avoid the legal pitfalls of these type of schemes, whilst maximising the opportunities that can come from nature based solutions to climate change.
Whatever the nature of your project, we can provide you with a dedicated team of experts to meet your requirements, bringing together lawyers as required from our real estate, planning and compulsory purchase, environment, corporate, dispute resolution, private client and finance teams.
Areas of focus
We have considerable expertise advising on:
- The purchase and sale of land for natural capital projects including conservation and rewilding
- Regenerative agriculture schemes including in the context of share farming structures
- Drafting offset agreements to deal with brokerage arrangements, landowner due diligence, project establishment and maintenance, offsetting validation and monitoring
- Tenanted holdings and relevant soil health maintenance and enhancement agreements
- Schemes involving biodiversity and habitats issues including biodiversity net gain and offsetting requirements
- Consenting issues for local planning authorities
- Environmental credit sale agreements and guiding clients through emerging legislation and practices
- Environmental credit schemes such as the Woodland Carbon Code and Peatland Code
Whether this is your first venture into natural capital, or you are looking for advice on your existing projects, get in touch to discuss how we can help you achieve your sustainability aspirations.