Accelerating Nature-Based Climate Solutions

The project focusses on carbon sequestration (the removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere), where there is significant demand but fragmented supply.

The Project aims are;

1. Provide an understanding of the demand for nature-based projects from local authority climate emergency plans and the local businesses seeking to invest in local carbon offsetting.
2. Assess the ‘readiness’ of nature-based organisations to develop and deliver nature-based projects for carbon sequestration and identify gaps in skills, knowledge and capacity that stand in their way.
3. Produce resources (see section 9) to support the development and delivery of a coherent nature-based carbon sequestration offer.
4. Develop demonstration projects to showcase innovation and good practice.

Develop a framework for a SELEP-wide ‘brokerage hub’ that can bring together ‘buyers’ and ‘sellers’ to co-develop nature-based carbon sequestration projects^[1].

[1] Nature-based projects create and deliver wildlife-rich habitats as a way of delivering a range of benefits to people and nature including carbon storage and sequestration.  They are recognised by government as a unique mechanism for tackling the twin challenges of halting biodiversity loss and tackling climate change, whilst creating and retaining jobs as part of the green recovery. For info see The Government Response to the Committee on Climate Change’s 2020 Progress Report To Parliament. Reducing UK Emissions.

Sector Support Fund

The Sector Support Fund (SSF) was established to support one-off, discrete pieces of work of a pan-LEP nature with a sector focus that bring demonstrable benefit and which have support across the LEP area.

The SSF used Growing Places Fund (GPF) Revenue grant to fund a programme of works which supported the sector focussed activities being undertaken on a pan-LEP basis and which were predominantly led by the SELEP working groups.