Exploring the Case For a New Species-rich Grassland Code

Despite being some of the most biodiverse habitats in the UK, species-rich grasslands have long been overlooked across all areas of policy, something we’ve termed ‘The Grassland Gap’. This gap is also evident in carbon and nature markets – where frameworks and codes are designed to generate and sell carbon and nature credits for the purpose of habitat creation and restoration.

Other habitats like woodlands and peatlands already have these codes. So, we want to find out if something similar could work for species-rich grasslands.

This project is supported by Legal & General and is being carried out with leading researchers and other project supporters.

What is the Grassland Code Project?

We recently co-developed a Grassland Ecosystem Toolkit for farmers to increase their understanding of nature markets and their potential to support grassland restoration.

This work revealed the ‘grassland gap’ in nature markets: no existing private market mechanism fully values species-rich grasslands while supporting farmers economically.

Even public payments via schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive can no longer be relied on. Please do read our joint statement on this here.

Farmers must be enabled to produce food and be stewards of healthy, biodiverse land in an economically viable way. Achieving this means working with farmers, scientists, businesses and nature experts.

Our focus is on restoring and managing species-rich grasslands in a way that works for the people who look after them.

Before we can start building a code, we’re asking if one could exist, what would it look like? So we’re going to be examining the science of grassland carbon sequestration, testing appetite from farmers and corporate buyers, and mapping out what a governing framework could look like. This means we can make an informed decision about whether and how to move forward.

What Will we be Doing?

The project will focus on 4 main areas of work:

• Scientific baselining – We are reviewing research to understand the many benefits that species-rich grasslands provide, such as supporting wildlife, improving soil health and helping manage water in the landscape. This work will build upon previous Plantlife publications including, Valuing the Vital: Grassland Ecosystem Services in the UK and the Grassland Ecosystem Toolkit.
• Exploring How a Grassland Code Could Work – We are looking at how a code could measure and verify the benefits of healthy grasslands, so that businesses and investors can support nature with confidence.
• Analysing the Market – We’ll talk to farmers, academics, policymakers and businesses to ensure we help to develop a product that farmers want to create and businesses want to buy.
• Assessing Alternative Options – If a code isn’t the best option for grasslands, we will consider how else we can incentivise private finance to invest in species-rich grasslands. We’ll be investigating alternative options too.

Carl Moxley, from Legal and General said: “We are delighted to be able to support Plantlife in its ambition to analyse and potentially develop a Species-Rich Grassland Code. The carbon market in the UK is strong and continues to develop. Additional codes, in addition to Woodland and Peatland, will help diversify the types of nature restoration and creation that can help contribute to organisation’s net zero ambitions, with the underpin of being reputational strong and high integrity. This could facilitate new funding to restore and protect our UK nature heritage.”

Claire Quigley, Plantlife’s Nature Economy Specialist said: “At Plantlife, we believe that valuing grasslands is valuing farmers. Our aim is to reward the full benefits provided by healthy, species-rich grasslands and create a route that connects farmers directly to private investment. We’re excited to embark on this investigative journey with our partners to find the best way to make that happen.”

Find Out More

Are you a landowner interested in piloting this project with us? Or an organisation looking to strengthen your supply chain or address your emissions? Or an academic or consultant keen to collaborate?

If so, we’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch with Clare Quigley, our Nature Economy Specialist, to learn more. We’re always keen to share knowledge and work across sectors to maximise the benefits for species-rich grasslands.