Net Zero With Nature
Net Zero With Nature
Net Zero With Nature (NZWN) is the collective strategy of the National Parks in the fight against climate change and the biodiversity crisis. It’s about creating virtuous circles between people and place, society and the environment. We work with nature to enhance it. We maximise the impact and scale of this by creating new and innovative economic and social models that allow the largest number and widest variety of partner organisations to join, enhance and grow this work. These models are sustainable in the broadest sense: by being rewarding for landowners, investors, residents, visitors, our landscapes and their habitats.
There are three elements to the NZWN strategy:
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Revere : Investing in Natural Capital
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Collaborative Restoration Projects
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Climate Emergency Leadership
Scroll down to learn more about each of these.
Revere is a collaboration between UK National Parks and Palladium that aims to raise private capital to fund nature restoration in National Parks. It designs and delivers scalable Nature-based Solutions (NbS) projects that will restore degraded peatlands, grasslands, woodlands and wetlands, through the sale of monetisable ecosystem services. These include: carbon credits, biodiversity outcomes, natural flood risk management outcomes and water quality outcomes.
Revere is a first of its kind project development facility. It was created by National Parks UK in partnership with Palladium, a positive impact company that works around the globe with corporations, governments, investors and communities on nature restoration. £239m of nature restoration projects in UK National Parks have been identified for funding through Revere. Five nature restoration pilots were launched in 2021, with a total of 14 now underway.
To find out more about Revere visit the website.
If you are a landowner that is interested in finding out how Revere can help generate funds for your nature restoration work, or a company that wants to support or invest in UK nature restoration, or would like to register your interest in buying high quality UK-generated carbon credits while helping nature in National Parks, please contact us.
Collaborative Restoration Projects seek to maximise the scale and pace of nature restoration through collaboration. This happens in three main ways:
Collaborative Restoration Projects might include more than one National Park or National Parks working with other designated landscapes and organisations to restore large areas of land that run across boundaries. For example, the Great North Bog and the Nature Recovery Network.
Collaborative Restoration Projects might be co-created with funders and landowners specifically for one National Park. For example, ReNature in South Downs National Park.
Collaborative Restoration Projects might help leverage public funding to support restoration projects by specific landowner groups within National Parks. E.g through Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL), Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMs) or Lottery Funding.
Below are just four examples of the sort of nature restoration work taking place across the 15 National Parks
Dartmoor Peatland , Restoration Project (opens in a new tab)
Dartmoor National Park has 31,500ha of peatland – roughly the size of 77,000 football pitches – and around 40% of South West Water’s daily water supply comes from its uplands. Thanks to vital ongoing restoration work peat-forming bog plants like sphagnum moss can recolonise helping the peat to lock in and store carbon. The re-wetted peat soils will retain water and carbon, essential for all life, and these peatlands will begin to form again, improving habitats. By the end of the current phase, over 300ha of peatland will be restored in Dartmoor. Bringing the total completed to 372ha of restored peatland. Thanks to work like this, RSPB data shows Dunlin numbers have increased by 38% since restoration work started and the levels of water the bogs are holding has increased by 9cm since 2014.
New Forest Rivers , Restoration Project (opens in a new tab)
The New Forest has some of the most internationally-important wetlands in Europe which support a large number of rare species such as the southern damselfly and curlew. As part of the Verderers of the New Forest Higher Level Stewardship scheme, more than 20 miles of streams and mires that had been drained or altered in the past have been returned to their natural courses. The restorations, led by Forestry England, are improving habitats for wildlife, helping manage flood risk in built up areas, improving carbon storage and increasing resilience to drought. Launched in 2010 as an agreement with Natural England, the scheme is managed by the Verderers of the New Forest in partnership with the New Forest National Park Authority and Forestry England. The project won the prestigious 2019 UK River Prize.
Cairngorms Peatlands , Restoration Project
In the UK peatlands store over 3 billion tonnes of carbon, with more than half of that in Scotland. Over a quarter of the Cairngorms National Park is made up of peatlands which are vital for carbon capture and storage. Thanks to multiple projects currently 1,685 hectares of damaged peatlands have been put under restoration management using reprofiling, turfing, erosion gullies and drainage to stabilise and restore these vital peatlands. The estimated yearly reduction in carbon is 18,683 tons. Cairngorms National Park aims to restore and manage at least 4,000 hectares of peatland in the next three years.
Yorkshire Dales Rivers , Restoration Project
The ‘Keep Ure Rivers Cool’ project is in the Yorkshire Dales. The first phase of this project will see ten new woodlands created along river banks. These will create dapple shade and improve river temperatures for native fish and aquatic life including brown trout, white clawed crayfish, otters and kingfishers. The project has identified sites with the potential to deliver 6.2km of riparian creation.
As organisations we clearly state collective and individual plans to tackle the climate emergency in partnership with our local communities, partners and stakeholders. On 8th October 2021 we published a joint Climate Emergency Response Statement detailing our collective plans.
We will set ambitious targets to influence the behaviour of visitors, the wider public and partners through our involvement in scientifically robust recognised programs such as Race to Zero.
We will galvanise international efforts by creating a global movement of National Parks and protected spaces dedicated to tackling the climate emergency – sharing and enhancing the lessons from our UK work and identifying good practice wherever it takes place to share across borders.
You don`t have to wait for nightfall to experience the magic of darkness. ✨🌙
Now the nights are drawing in, “Dusking", a traditional Dutch twilight ritual, could teach us how to appreciate the darkening evenings.
As the golden hour fades into the blue hour, the landscape begins it quiet transformation. Colours soften, sounds change, and a hidden world starts to emerge. Bats take to the skies, moths begin their nightly journeys, and familiar places reveal a completely different character.
While the tradition of Dusking may have begun in the Netherlands and re-introduced in Amsterdam, shared experiences are spreading across Europe.
Places like @northyorkmoors are holding dusking events as part of their Dark Skies Festivals, inviting people to slow down and reconnect with nature together.
Have you ever tried Dusking? Tell us below 👇
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Danby Beacon, North York Moors National Park (Russell Burton)
Sutton Bank at sunset, North York Moors National Park (Oliver Sherratt)
Sutton Bank at dusk, North York Moors National Park (Steve Bell)
North York Moors National Park (Steve Bell)
The clocks go back on Sunday, which means more darkness. ⏰ ⭐
But darkness isn’t always a bad thing. Darker nights bring many benefits for our natural environment, supporting wildlife and helping nature thrive.
Stargazing beneath our dark skies also connects us to centuries of traditions and our enduring fascination with the stars. ✨
Our National Parks are home to some of the darkest skies in the UK. By protecting these special places, we can help preserve the dark skies that benefit both people and nature.
#DarkSkies #NationalParks #ClocksGoBack
👻 Strange sights and spooky stories await in the @Southdownsnp
From mist-shrouded woods and twisted trees to castles beneath the moon, the National Park is home to many eerie spots.
And across our 15 National Parks, there are tales that have endured for centuries, legends still passed down today, and histories with dark chapters.
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Ghost in South Downs - Luis Fernando Mancilla
Iping tree - Richard Murray
Harvest moon - Andrew Gambling Photography
Devil’s Dyke - Sam Moore
Stamner Park - Finn Curry
#SouthDowns #Halloween #NationalParks
🎉 Happy Exmoor Day, @exmoornp!
Today, Exmoor National Park celebrates years of connecting people with nature, wildlife and the great outdoors.
From England’s largest wild red deer herd and native ponies to Europe’s first International Dark Sky Reserve and dramatic landscapes, Exmoor is a place full of life, history and discovery.
Its landscapes, wildlife and historic villages bring people closer to nature and create opportunities to explore, connect and enjoy the benefits of being outdoors.
Here’s to Exmoor – and many more adventures to come! 💚
#Exmoor #ExmoorNationalPark #NationalParksUK
Happy birthday @parc_eryri 🎂
From its towering peaks and sweeping valleys to its rich heritage, Eryri (Snowdonia) is a place that means so much to so many people.
It`s a landscape full of stories, shaped by generations of people and home to some of Wales` most treasured places, from the summit of Yr Wyddfa to the quieter corners.
Today, we`re celebrating everything that makes Eryri unique, from the people and traditions that give it its character to the ongoing work to protect its landscapes and wildlife.
Share your favourite memories of Eryri in the comments! 💬
📸Ogwen Valley, Snowdonia @cinqueportsphotography
#Eryri #EryriNationalPark #TheAnswerIsNationalParks
Autumn is a chance to give nature a helping hand. 🍂
From leaving fallen leaves to providing food for birds, small actions can make a big difference to the world around us.
Here are some of the ways to help nature this season.
#NatureRecovery #Autumn #NationalParks
An ancient wall almost 2,000 years old, and a catch-up with your mate? ✅
Historic landmarks like Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland National Park have been connecting people for centuries.
While that connection looks very different today from the wall’s original role as a Roman defensive fortification, it’s still a place where people come together and explore history.
Because our National Parks are about so much more than great places for a day out. They’re places to connect with friends, clear your head, get active and learn about history, all in one place.
#Northumberland #HadriansWall #NationalParksUK
They’re more than just pretty places. 🌳
Our National Parks are home to some incredible trees, from ancient giants to England’s tallest tree.
Swipe through for a few #WildFacts about the trees growing across our 15 National Parks.
#NationalParksUK #Trees #Woodland
