A key barrier to achieving the UK’s environmental targets is the lack of financing available for nature outside public funding. This is unsustainable in the long-term and will not be sufficient to halt the decline of nature and the loss of ecosystem services valued at £41 billion per year in England, and £67 million per year in the WMCA area.
The UK Government has been exploring how private finance might be brought in to more effectively bolster public funding. One of the routes identified to tackle this problem was the Local Investment in Natural Capital (LINC) programme – four areas in England, including the WMCA, received funding from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to explore how private finance could be unlocked to build a nature-positive economy by 2030.
The WMCA LINC programme ran from April 2023 to March 2026, supporting our constituent authorities and wider stakeholders through over 100 events, workshops, and webinars. LINC has provided the crucial first step in a region-wide initiative to address natural capital market failures and support delivery of local/regional targets for the environment, climate adaptation, and inclusive growth.
Key outputs from LINC include:
- the West Midlands Nature Investment Hub
- the LINC Programme Report
- the WMCA Natural Capital Baseline Report
- How-to guides (available here)
- A regional BNG Habitat Bank Feasibility Study (available upon request)
- a nature finance and project development community of practice: to join us please email nature.hub@wmca.org.uk
Local Investment in Natural Capital (LINC) Project Natural capital baseline data report
Read the full report using the link below.