Roadside marigolds. Credit: Getty Images.
The Planning and Infrastructure Act is a key part of the government’s plan to secure sustained economic growth and get Britain building again. Today we’ve published the Nature Restoration Fund Implementation Plan - this is part of the Act which will drive the recovery of protected sites and species whilst supporting the acceleration of house building and infrastructure.
This post provides an overview of how the Nature Restoration Fund will work for nature markets and the wider sector, such as farmers (and wider land managers), habitat banks, not-for-profits operating in the nature recovery space, ecological consultancies, and a broader group of contractors and ancillary organisations that facilitate and deliver the conservation measures that lead to the recovery of protected sites and species.
Environmental Delivery Plans will support nature markets
Private and third sector providers of conservation measures will be critical to the delivery of the Nature Restoration Fund. We have already seen the growth of nature markets in England and we want to build on this success. We intend to achieve this by providing clear routes to involvement in NRF delivery.
Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) will create demand for the delivery of conservation measures that will be deployed to address the impacts of development on environmental features in relation to protected sites or species within a specific area. These conservation measures will be funded by a levy paid by developers to meet their legal obligations associated with the impacts addressed by the EDP. Each EDP will set out the conservation measures which will be implemented, giving providers greater certainty of the future pipeline of measures.
We also anticipate the Nature Restoration Fund will support the wider growth of nature related businesses, in functions such as evidence gathering, environmental baselining, and monitoring. These opportunities are likely to develop as the processes around the EDP lifecycle are standardised and the Nature Restoration Fund enters a business-as-usual state.
EDPs will be voluntary by default, allowing developers to continue to meet relevant obligations on a project-by-project basis through existing processes and providers if they wish. Only by exception, where it is considered necessary, can Natural England propose that an EDP should be mandatory, and this would need to be approved by the relevant Secretary of State.
Mandatory BNG and the associated offsite market for biodiversity units will not be affected by the Nature Restoration Fund. BNG is not in scope of the Planning and Infrastructure Act.
Defra and Natural England are planning to launch the first EDPs in the second half of 2026. For more information, please see the Nature Restoration Fund Implementation Plan. This phased and clearly defined approach to setting up the Nature Restoration Fund will minimise disruption to nature markets.
Conservation measure delivery principles
The primary objective for all conservation measure delivery will be to enable the EDP to which they relate to meet the overall improvement test (as defined in legislation), while ensuring cost efficiency. Natural England will preferentially seek to source conservation measures through fair and open competition, in line with the usual public sector rules around transparency and equal treatment of suppliers. This is usually the best way to ensure good value for money and encourage innovation in delivering environmental outcomes.
Natural England are considering different routes to market such as open procurements, frameworks, dynamic markets, calls for sites, and grants. These will be chosen based on a number of factors, including the type of conservation measure in question and the market dynamics for its supply.
Conservation measure delivery will not discriminate between profit and not-for-profit suppliers.
Natural England may engage in non-competitive delivery of conservation measures if they consider, and the Secretary of State agrees, in making the EDP, that a market procurement approach will not be appropriate.
Natural England, in line with new strategy, will be exploring opportunities to:
promote strategic interventions at scale deliver wider public benefits such as increasing public access to nature in communities secure multiple environmental benefits on the same land - including opportunities to combine conservation measures in an EDP with payments for other environmental services where permitted by regulation and additionality testsThe government also wishes to support nature market maturation and reduce the long-term compliance risks associated with the maintenance and management of conservation measures. Natural England will therefore be expected to employ high-integrity standards, supported by clear technical specifications, for all procurements. For example, like the Nature Investment Standards under development by DEFRA in partnership with the British Standards Institution.
Next steps
Natural England’s implementation of the Nature Restoration Fund will be shaped by the Levy Regulations and guidance published by the Secretary of State. This guidance will follow Royal Assent and the passage of related regulations in 2026.
In addition to this expected guidance, Natural England are undertaking preliminary market research to improve its understanding of the sector and options for EDP delivery.
If you’re interested in this, we request that you read the Preliminary Market Engagement Notice published on 17 December 2025 in Find a Tender Service for further details on how to participate.
The government will continue to engage with interested stakeholders on this in the coming weeks.
seen at 14:34, 18 December in Environment.