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Arup and EnTrade partner to accelerate private investment in nature recovery
Scaling up EnTrade's successful nature recovery model, our joint venture is set to drive private investment in environmental projects across the UK.
Last updated: 7th February 2025
Arup has joined forces with EnTrade, the UK’s leading marketplace for nature recovery, to go nationwide and accelerate private investment in nature recovery.
The joint venture between Arup and EnTrade’s owner, YTL UK Group, will allow the model EnTrade has established in its Bristol Avon and Somerset Catchment Markets to be scaled up across the country. Those pilot projects have led to significant environmental improvements, with 3.2 hectares of land now protected under nature-based project agreements, backed by private investment of over £1.3 million.
As the UK’s first end-to-end environmental market operator, EnTrade facilitates investment from companies into local nature-based projects that enhance water quality, biodiversity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This enables farmers and land managers to earn income from environmental projects and helps businesses to meet their environmental goals.
The joint venture was launched on 6 February at Arup’s Bristol office, with support from Kerry McCarthy, MP for Bristol East, renowned environmentalist Ben Goldsmith and CEO of Wiltshire Wildlife Trust Joanna Lewis.
The UK is one of the most nature depleted countries on Earth and faces a nature finance gap of at least £44bn per year. Scaling up nature markets could make a significant contribution to closing this gap and accelerating nature recovery.
The EnTrade and Arup partnership is launching a new online marketplace, bringing its activities into one seamless digital system. It makes it easy for businesses and landholders to trade certified environmental services such as nutrient reduction and biodiversity gain in a fair, efficient and transparent way. The partners are in the advanced stages of launching at least two new regional nature markets in 2025 and other local planning authorities are encouraged to come forward and partner with EnTrade to set up additional new markets to facilitate local investment in nature.
The news will be particularly welcomed by property development companies, which are now legally required to demonstrate that their developments will deliver at least a 10% increase in local biodiversity value to secure planning permission.
Purchasing certified biodiversity units is one way to meet these requirements, but until now the market infrastructure to support such trades has been lacking. EnTrade is changing that; Abbey Manor Group recently purchased credits from EnTrade enabling it to secure planning permission for one site and progress a further 100 house development near Yeovil.
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