1. KEYNOTE STAGE SPONSOR

2. Valuing Natural Capital
8 November 2018
Alan Law
Natural England

3. …that directly or indirectly produce value to people.
What is Natural Capital?
Those assets provided by nature which have the capacity to generate goods and services…
…that directly or indirectly produce value to people.
Natural Capital Committee
What is natural capital? Why is it relevant to Highways UK delegates

4. Linear infrastructure soft estate = asset, not liability
Natural Capital – the green can help the grey to function
How valuing natural capital in linear infrastructure planning can deliver a road network which is more resilient to climate events, and offset impacts of road transport

5. Highways England Biodiversity Targets
2025
2020
Reduction in loss of biodiversity
No Net Loss of biodiversity
2040
Net Gain in biodiversity
Valuing natural capital can deliver more:
The environment becomes an integral part of infrastructure planning
A strategic shift from thinking about environmental ‘constraints’ to ‘opportunities’
Working collaboratively – optimising use of the resources available
How valuing natural capital can help with achieving challenging biodiversity targets, change how we think about the environment in infrastructure planning and working collaboratively optimises resources and expertise in challenging financial climate.
Cost benefit v cost effective – when does it make more sense to spend on strategic environmental provision, not just on improvements within their estate?

6. The Future – Planning for the long term
Natural England can help by:
Working with sub-national transport bodies on strategic planning of road schemes;
Contributing understanding of how natural capital assets beyond a ‘red line boundary’ can deliver environmental goods and services, and;
Developing an eco-metric to value ecosystem service provision from a project’s habitat losses and gains
What is our offer?
We need to build the evidence base on ‘on site’ v ‘strategic’ net gain for biodiversity – which achieves greater results?

7. Opportunities – RIS2 Environment and Wellbeing Fund
Supporting 25 Year Plan ambitions -
Using our knowledge of natural capital assets to:
Address impacts that strategic roads have on nearby people, places, the historic environment and biodiversity;
Design projects which improve air quality, reduce noise pollution, and mitigate the severance effect the road network can have on communities and ecosystems;
Retrofit the latest environmental standards and green infrastructure solutions to existing roads.
What is our offer?
We need to build the evidence base on ‘on site’ v ‘strategic’ net gain for biodiversity – which achieves greater results?

8. Case study – Lower Thames Crossing
£6billion road scheme- increase road capacity by 70% and add £billions of investment to the economy 
NE sought to ensure the environment is part of the infrastructure discussion
Worked with Highways England to
secure a tunnel scheme protecting the Thames Estuary and Marshes  
design the access road in Kent to conserve ancient woodland SSSI
6 km2 land take supporting environmental mitigation plans
Proactive engagement with HE design team (and other partners) to realise their environmental legacy aspirations
In future, schemes such as the Lower Thames Crossing could benefit significantly from a greater strategic understanding of natural capital assets - playing this in from the earliest high-level discussions to maximise opportunity for communities, road users and ecosystems
We need to build the evidence base on ‘on site’ v ‘strategic’ net gain for biodiversity – which achieves greater results?

9. Thank you. Any questions?
Alan Law
Natural England

10. KEYNOTE STAGE SPONSOR