Green Jobs
Nature Recovery will play a key role in generating green jobs in the North of England, often in economically vulnerable areas.
Net Zero
It is estimated that land management can be responsible for net savings of 30 MtCO2e by 2050 across the UK. As home to the majority of England’s peatlands, an extensive coastline and a woodland cover much lower than the national average, nature recovery in the North of England has a key role to play in achieving net zero.
Health
Providing access to nature and clean air is key for improving health outcomes. By improving access to quality green spaces, nature recovery can play a key role in addressing health inequalities found across the North of England. This will make a significant contribution to addressing the north’s productivity gap and the levelling up agenda.
Place Making
Nature recovery and greenspace will play a key part in place making and driving economic growth and wellbeing in northern cities, towns and villages. Nature can be a key part of the offer alongside culture and recreation. This is particularly important as the country recovers from the pandemic and we identify the new normal in how we live, work and play.
Flood Regulation
The North of England contains significant areas of high and medium risk from surface water, coastal, and river flooding. Climate change will increase in this risk. Spending on flood risk management in the North was higher than the national average. Nature Recovery through Natural Flood Management is recognised as a cost effective approach to address flood risk.
Water Quality
Many of the England’s largest reservoirs are found in catchments in the North of England. The state of nature in these catchment can influence the quality of this water. Restoring ecosystems across catchments in the North will restore natural functions which will result in high quality raw water and reduced water treatment costs.
Biodiversity
Nature Recovery will play a key role in improving the condition and connectivity of out habitats and improving species diversity and abundance. In Lawton’s 2010 seminal report he called for bigger better and more joined up habitats across England. This report highlighted that existing habitats were too fragmented and in poor condition to avoid biodiversity loss or meet the needs that we have of our natural environment. This remains the case today.