Our Natural Capital team has advised The Lifescape Project on its first conservation covenant agreement as a designated Responsible Body under the Environment Act 2021.
The conservation covenant agreed with nature restoration company Nattergal will see 225 hectares of land at High Fen Wildland in Norfolk managed to create and improve mosaic habitat and wetlands. The site will be funded, amongst other things, through the creation of biodiversity units arising from the enhanced habitats.
Gowling WLG Sustainability Partner Ben Stansfield worked alongside Principal Associate Emma Cartledge-Taylor to develop a template conservation covenant agreement on a pro bono basis with The Lifescape Project while it applied for Responsible Body status. Ben and Emma continued to advise the organisation on this first application of the template agreement, tailoring the conservation covenant to secure ecology improvements at this important ecological site.
Ben Stansfield said: "We've worked closely with The Lifescape Project to develop a robust template agreement that will secure significant enhancements for nature and further the organisation's purpose and impact. This conservation covenant seeks to lead by example in the market and create high-integrity, biodiverse habitats that will deliver long-term benefits for everyone. We're excited to see its first use come into place and the wider impact it will create."
Adam Eagle, Chief Executive Officer at The Lifescape Project, added: "As a Responsible Body, with nature restoration at the heart of our charitable mission, it is great that our first covenant is with Nattergal - a world-leading nature restoration company. We are really excited to see how the site at High Fen evolves and how it can make a positive and measurable change for biodiversity."
The Lifescape Project evolved from a collaboration between professionals across multiple disciplines to create an independent charity focused on restoring and protecting biodiverse, natural habitats. The arrival of new BNG rules last February aligned with the charity's overall mission to help create, restore and protect wild landscapes. It became designated a Responsible Body in October 2024, enabling it to enter into conservation covenants for securing BNG.
Nattergal Ltd is a nature restoration company focused on the commercialisation of nature restoration to support delivery of the "30% by 2030" global biodiversity framework goal. It works with corporate organisations to help provide funding for nature, applying the model it has established across biodiverse sites in locations including Lincolnshire, Essex and Norfolk.
Gowling WLG's specialist Natural Capital team, part of its wider ESG group, has in-depth expertise in this area of environmental and planning law and is immersed in the latest developments around sustainability and biodiversity. The firm's ESG lawyers are drawn from a diverse range of practice areas and based across its international offices. They support clients on a wide spectrum of matters – helping them understand their responsibilities and identify areas of risk and opportunity as they move forward with their sustainability strategies and long-term ambitions. You can find out more about the team through its ESG web pages.