Last month we hosted our inaugural Nature Investment Zone (NIZ) engagement workshop, one of many cross sector engagement sessions bringing together partners to identify areas of real opportunity across the UK; from future NIZ candidates to ecological connectors that are critical for national resilience.
This marks a major milestone: the start of building the UK’s first Strategic Nature Network.
The initial conceptual SNN, due for publication in June 2026, will form a national spatial layer to inform land-use decision-making across sectors. Its purpose:
➡️ Position nature as critical infrastructure
➡️ Highlight land that must be protected, restored, or connected
➡️ Guide and unlock multi-decadal, blended investment into the UK’s natural systems
To build the SNN, Rebuilding Nature is returning to the Lawton principles and early DEFRA guidance for a truly strategic national network. While DEFRA’s 2023 update shifted focus toward local action, we are complementing this by creating a strategic, UK-wide layer that sits above the Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs), OECMs in Scotland and other local place based strategies.
This national map will identify:
🔸 Large landscapes with high potential for nature recovery
🔸 Critical ecological connectors and bottlenecks
🔸 Areas of high biodiversity value
🔸 LNRS priorities (ACIBs & APIBs)
🔸 Low-grade agricultural land with high restoration potential
🔸 Confirmed development zones
🔸 And of course — Nature Investment Zones (NIZs)
Nature Investment Zones: The Building Blocks of the SNN
NIZs are where scaled, investable nature recovery can be delivered.
Each NIZ is:
✔️ At least 10,000 ha
✔️ Rich in nature-based solution potential
✔️ Led by robust local coalitions
✔️ Designed to model blended finance and long-term resilience
✔️ A testbed for a national blueprint
To feature as a potential NIZ in the SNN, each zone will map four key components:
1️⃣ Core Zone – areas of highest biodiversity value
2️⃣ Restoration Zone – priority land/sea for Lawton-aligned recovery
3️⃣ Buffer Zone – nature-friendly farming to enhance ecological coherence
4️⃣ Growth/Investment Zone – where market and mandatory funds can be channelled into nature
Do you have an area of opportunity we should consider?
We are now building the first national iteration of the SNN and we want to hear from local partners, coalitions, and landowners across the UK.
If you have an area that should be considered for the first Strategic Nature Network, please get in touch.
This is a national endeavour, and your region may hold a crucial piece of the puzzle.
The UK’s SNN will only succeed if it reflects the best opportunities across all four nations. Let’s build it together.
Read more below about our process or contact us here: Get in Touch with Rebuilding Nature – Contact Our Team Today
Mapping the SNN
The first conceptual stage of the Strategic Nature Network (SNN) due for publication in June 2026, will be a national layer to inform land use decision making across sectors majoring nature as critical infrastructure, highlighting priority land to protect and to restore.
Rebuilding Nature is returning to the Lawton principles and the early DEFRA guidance for the National Nature Recovery Network in order to map the SNN. DEFRA guidance was changed in March 20231 to focus more on local action and engagement, rather than strategic priorities. The SNN seeks to build on the Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) OECMs and other local mapping processes, overlaying it with a complementary nationally strategic layer that focusses on largest, most impactful nature conservation and restoration opportunities across the UK, to leverage collective financing for this national-level endeavour.
The analysis will focus on identifying larger landscapes that present scaled opportunity for nature recovery within a physically connected national network. The conceptual SNN will function as a starting point for continual finessing as more detailed regional level data is collected on potential Natural Investment Zone (NIZs) c.o. local delivery coalitions and overlaid with Local Nature Recovery Strategies as these are published.
There will therefore be several layers to the SNN as a conceptual construct for delivering 30% of land and sea being restored by nature for people, and dealing with 30% of the UKs emissions reductions by 2030 - 30|30|30:
An Ecological framework to highlight key ecological areas, which would – ideally – contain at least one NIZ National connectivity analysis to identify bottlenecks and key areas to prioritise for protection as 'critical connectors’
Critical habitat i.e. areas protected in law for their existing biodiversity value (not landscape value)
Mapped LNRSs including Areas that could become of particular importance for biodiversity (ACIB) and Areas of particular importance for biodiversity (APIB)
Low grade agricultural land where the farming potential is lower and nature restoration income potential higher
Development zones – areas where major infrastructure and developments are confirmed
Nature Investment Zones (NIZs) – , including marine protected areas adjacent to potential terrestrial NIZs
Nature Investment Zones
A Nature Investment Zone (NIZ) is the foundational building block of the SNN, each NIZ serving as localised hubs for investment, governance, and delivery. By bringing together investors, landowners, communities and nature to create large-scale impact.
Nature Investment Zones (NIZs) are the key component of SNN, where scaled nature recovery can be kickstarted. They need to be at least 10,000ha in size and have substantive nature-based solution and ecosystem service potential.
As we work to set minimum requirements and criteria for NIZ’s, these will allow for:
Recognition of robust coalitions that enable regional decision-making, commercial activity, and long-term commitment to nature recovery.
Demonstrating measurable contributions to the SNN through ambitious projects underpinned by natural processes that build climate resilience.
Modelling blended finance approaches to reduce risk, attract investment, and support sustainable revenue streams.
Early NIZs act as pilots, transparently sharing successes and challenges to inform a national blueprint. Provides a consistent platform that links local projects into the SNN’s aggregated investment vehicle.
Potential NIZ Entrant Mapping
To be featured as a potential NIZ on the SNN, an overall ‘opportunity area’ boundary will need to be provided encompassing the following elements as mapped by the NIZ team in question and provided as polygons:
The Core Zone – high biodiversity value land and sea - some of which may already be legally protected for its ecological value. This Zone will build on the International Finance Corporation’s Definition of Critical Habitat4 and the DEFRA definition of Areas of Particular Importance to Biodiversity (from the Local Nature Recovery Strategies) for designations of national and local value.
The Restoration Zone – land, or sea, to be prioritised for nature restoration due to its location and potential for applying the Lawton Principles. Specific attention will be paid to critical landscape connections and ensuring this zone is both realistic and substantial enough to meet the 10,000ha size requirement of a NIZ. This will include recommendations for areas of national priority for green bridges.
The Buffer Zone – areas where nature friendly farming should be encouraged to ensure ecological coherence in the NIZ, and to make sure it meets the minimum size requirement of 10,000 ha. Development should be minimised in this area as it would reduce the overall value of the NIZ and the SNN (socially and economically) through limiting connectivity and climate adaptation. This can overlap with the Restoration Zone.
The Growth/Investment Zone – areas of development, business and industry where funds are generated through mandatory mitigation (biodiversity net gain, nutrient neutrality) and voluntary measures (carbon and biodiversity credits) to be channelled into NIZ investment projects.
