The launch event for Rebuilding Nature left me feeling optimistic. There was so much positive energy in the room. Thank you to all who contributed to the success of the day! We were overflowing with brilliant people, with standing room only in the auditorium. There were some star performances on stage and so many conversations and connections were made. From panel sessions to market stalls and breakout rooms, I learnt from so many who are already demonstrating through their work that we can rebuild nature.
We know nature recovery matters. A thriving natural environment is the foundation for a healthy, prosperous and resilient society for all of us. We also know what we need to do achieve it. For all the wonderful complexity of nature, the prescription for nature recovery is simple. More, bigger, better and more joined-up habitat. Large core areas of habitat to act as reservoirs of ecological complexity and connecting corridors between them. The UK has international commitments to deliver this, having signed up to the Global Biodiversity Framework to protect and connect 30% of land and sea. These prescriptions and commitments describe a national scale nature network. Simply, we need to deliver a Strategic Nature Network.
Our economy is embedded in nature, and we rely on it for the provision of essential goods and services. The Strategic Nature Network will be the backbone for a thriving and resilient natural environment, without which we are at risk of significant detrimental impacts to people and the economy. This meets the definition of critical infrastructure. It matters that we name this natural infrastructure and give it status equivalent to more traditional infrastructure. There are so many benefits that come from articulating the national vision and defining the infrastructure we need. It becomes something that can be delivered and to which we can all align. The Strategic Nature Network can help us make sense of all the initiatives and projects that are dispersed across the UK. It helps us communicate and inspire, with a vision for a better future. It shows that access to nature will be coming to your community with all the benefits for health and wellbeing that brings. It gives us confidence that we have a coherent plan and that delivering it will ensure that the natural environment is sufficiently muscular and resilient, safeguarding the ecosystem services it provides. It can help us prioritise our spend, and provides the strategic context within which to make the business case for individual interventions.
Setting out to create a Strategic Nature Network we are embarking on the delivery of a complex infrastructure programme. Coming from the traditional infrastructure sector I am interested in the lessons we can learn from decades of major project delivery. The Government Major Project Portfolio (GMPP) is a list of more than 200 of the most complex, impactful or risky projects in the UK. Recognising how challenging it is to deliver successfully, any project on the GMPP attracts additional support from the centre of Government. From training, to advice and toolkits, this support has been shown to improve the chances of success, particularly if provided at the stage of setting up. If a delivery programme for Strategic Nature Network was announced, it would undoubtedly qualify to be on the GMPP list. It would qualify because of its scale, impact and for the complexity of the delivery landscape that cuts across departments, policies and sectors.
Many of the materials that are used by Major Project delivery bodies are freely available. While we are not formally on the GMPP, there is value in checking how we are aligned to the principles for project success.
I am encouraged as I read through this document. We are defining the outcome, we are attracting people with diverse skills and experience and the quality of conversations at the launch event shows that we are heading towards an open and honest culture. There is clearly more to do, however. We need to refine the definition of the Strategic Nature Network, with more detailed definitions, mapping and explanation for how it will encompass all the fantastic initiatives that are happening locally and regionally. There is further work on how we are organised for delivery. Accountability is not clear. I would argue we need a natural infrastructure delivery body to co-ordinate. There is more to do on how we will bring together all the voices and expertise we need on an ongoing basis. We need the technical expertise of hydrologists, ecologists and sphagnum moss growers, but we also need stakeholder managers, legal expertise, communications experts and planners.
In my day job at National Highways I am keen that as a founding member we are contributing to the next stage of work for Rebuilding Nature. I would like to know that our biodiversity schemes are delivering part of a coherent plan for nature recovery. I would like to use the Strategic Nature Network to help make the case for a programme of nature crossings of our network at strategically important locations. To contribute, we are going to fund some work to develop the definition and mechanisms for Nature Investment Zones and we are talking with some other infrastructure providers about pooling our biodiversity funding to demonstrate partnership delivery. We have stated in our latest biodiversity procurement that we are a member of Rebuilding Nature and intend to use our biodiversity schemes to promote the creation of a Strategic Nature Network. We will also contribute to an Infrastructure Client Group programme of work on accelerating the realisation of the Strategic Nature Network. Please do consider how your organisation can help further the work of Rebuilding Nature.
There is a lot to do, but there are a growing number of organisations signing up and a sense of momentum. As I said at the beginning, I am left feeling optimistic by the buzz of the launch. If we can align on a common vision for the UK’s critical natural infrastructure, then we will achieve so much more by working together than in isolation. Thank you in advance for your help to set us up for success and get on the way to rebuilding nature through the creation of a Strategic Nature Network.
