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Natural capital

An exceptional track record of advising landowners, businesses and public bodies on innovative natural capital and sustainable land use projects, drawing on expertise from a wide range of legal disciplines.

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The experts in our leading ESG, Net Zero, environment and estates practices are at the forefront of advising on natural capital and sustainable land use.

We have a wide breadth and depth of experience helping private landowners, institutions, corporates, intermediaries, developers, utilities and public bodies avoid the legal pitfalls of these types of schemes, whilst maximising the opportunities that can come from nature-based solutions to climate change.

We advise clients participating in natural capital projects whether as part of new ventures or existing projects including habitat bank creation, carbon offsetting through woodland creation or peatland restoration and biodiversity net gain.

Whether it is advising on land acquisition for natural capital projects, developing regenerative agriculture schemes, offsetting validation and monitoring, or navigating consenting issues for local planning authorities, our team delivers tailored solutions to meet our clients’ unique requirements.

Services

Acquisition of land for natural capital projects

Supporting landowners in acquiring property to develop sustainable natural capital projects, aligning with environmental objectives.

Regenerative agriculture schemes

Advising on agreements for regenerative agriculture schemes, including innovative share farming structures to promote sustainable and productive land use.

Incorporating natural capital into land portfolios

Advising on strategic approaches to integrate natural capital into your land portfolio, maximising both environmental benefit and investment return.

Landscape recovery

Advising successful projects awarded Landscape Recovery funding on opportunities to bring farms, landowners and communities together to deliver and support environmental improvements.

Creation and operation of habitat banks

Preparing the contractual agreements for establishing and managing habitat banks to support the creation of BNG and contribute to conservation goals.

Drafting offsetting agreements

Drafting comprehensive offsetting agreements covering brokerage arrangements, landowner due diligence, project setup, and long-term maintenance.

Innovative tenancy agreements

Developing bespoke tenancy agreements that enable natural capital projects to operate alongside agricultural production balancing the interests of landowners and tenants.

Consenting issues for local planning authorities

Guiding clients through planning and consenting challenges including the use of section 106 agreements and conservation covenants to secure obligations relating BNG projects.

Environmental credit sale agreements

Drafting and negotiating environmental credit sale agreements, helping clients navigate emerging practices and legislative requirements.

Our team

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Key Contact

Ross Simpson Partner View profile

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Camilla Usher-Clark Partner View profile

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Kevin Kennedy Partner View profile

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Cathryn Tracey Director View profile

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Examples of our work

Conservation-focused enterprise

Advising on the acquisition of multiple estates and landholdings across the UK for the protection and restoration of natural processes including by rewilding, regenerative agriculture, and carbon sequestration.

Institutional landowner

Guiding an institutional landowner in establishing a bespoke habitat bank for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), providing strategic advice on legal frameworks, habitat management, and compliance with emerging environmental regulations.

Start-up business

Drafting a suite of legal documents for a start-up to acquire land alongside high-net-worth individuals and repurpose it for carbon offsetting and agri-environment projects.

UK government

Advising the UK government on setting up an innovative double-blind auction for environmental credits, part of the Energy Company obligation, ensuring transparency and compliance with national environmental policies.

Water utility

Supporting a major water utility in the restoration of peatland, preparing collaboration agreements for working with other and advising on processes for the registration and allocation of peatland carbon units.

UK forestry entity

Advising a major player in UK forestry on developing its carbon offsetting brokerage scheme introducing landowners to corporate to help offset carbon through tree planting, including brokerage arrangements, landowners and buyer due diligence, project establishment, offsetting validation and monitoring.

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