Nature-positive investment opportunities through solar parks

如果我们要在保持经济繁荣的同时实现净零和自然恢复，我们需要确保未来的社会和经济发展为自然带来积极成果。这需要为投资自然资本和生态系统服务确定新的机会和激励措施。它还需要开发新的方法来监控和评估这些投资，以便将它们纳入商业决策。有一系列机会可以鼓励对自然积极行动的投资，包括与碳和生物多样性信用相关的市场。然而，在建立这些市场方面的进展受到一些因素的限制。对企业对自然资本和生态系统服务的关键依赖关系的了解有限。对于企业如何从其活动中产生重大的自然积极影响，也缺乏知识。重要的是，关于如何将自然积极影响转化为财务结果和投资机会，以及如何衡量各种依赖关系、风险和机会并将其整合到商业决策中，需要开展更多工作。在这个项目中，我们将以太阳能公园行业为案例研究，以确定自然积极投资机会和适当的衡量标准，以便能够在太阳能公园价值链的所有阶段对其进行监测和报告。太阳能公园部门非常有动力促进对自然有利的运营和投资，英国政府预计到2035年太阳能部署将扩大五倍。太阳能公园行业在确定和开发创新做法方面处于有利地位，这些做法将缩小金融系统与自然环境之间的差距，使金融决策与生物多样性和自然资本更好地结合起来。我们的项目团队包括来自约克大学和兰开斯特大学的学术领导，以及来自NextEnergy Capital的商业领导。学术界和商界领袖将共同建立一个核心项目团队，其中包括代表太阳能园区价值链不同阶段的商业合作伙伴，涵盖可再生能源、自然资本资产管理、机构和散户投资者、投资银行、法律、土地管理、生态和通信。该项目将受益于NextEnergy Capital提供的大量Match资金支持，包括一家跨国传播咨询公司参与提供参与活动和宣传材料。该项目的主要产出将包括：(1)“决策级”自然积极指标的简短清单，并附有文件，以供商业决策使用；(2)太阳能价值链当前自然积极投资的摘要，详细说明迫切需要和未来潜力；以及(3)旨在整合自然积极指标的路线图和相关政策简介，包括报告建议。该项目将通过一项影响和参与方案，通过新闻稿、通过现有网络和社交媒体进行宣传、由一个专业机构主办的网络研讨会以及为专业机构撰写的两篇文章，推动改变人们对太阳能园区行业自然积极投资潜力的认识。这些活动将促进建立一个有利于自然的太阳能公园投资界，对更广泛的自然资本投资界产生影响。

If we are to achieve net zero and nature recovery, while maintaining a thriving economy, we need to ensure that future social and economic developments bring positive outcomes for nature. This requires identifying new opportunities and incentives for investment in natural capital and ecosystem services. It also requires developing new ways in which these investments can be monitored and evaluated, so that they can be incorporated into business decision-making. There are a range of opportunities for encouraging investment in nature-positive actions, including markets associated with carbon and biodiversity credits. However, progress in establishing these markets is limited by a number of factors. There is limited understanding of key dependencies of business on natural capital and ecosystem services. There is also a lack of knowledge on how businesses can generate significant nature-positive impacts from their activities. Importantly, there needs to be more work on how nature-positive impacts can be translated into financial outcomes and investment opportunities, and how the various dependencies, risks and opportunities can be measured and integrated into business decision-making.In this project, we will use the solar park industry as a case study to identify nature-positive investment opportunities and appropriate metrics to enable their monitoring and reporting, at all stages of the solar park value chain. The solar park sector is highly motivated to promote nature-positive operations and investments, and the UK government anticipates a five-fold expansion in solar deployment by 2035. The solar park industry is in a prime position to identify and develop innovative practices that will close the gap between the financial system and the natural environment, enabling better alignment of financial decision-making with biodiversity and natural capital. Our project team comprises academic leads from the University of York and Lancaster University, and a business lead from NextEnergy Capital. The academic and business leads will work together to establish a core project team including commercial partners that represent the different stages of the solar park value chain, encompassing renewable energy, natural capital asset management, institutional and retail investors, investment banking, law, land management, ecology and communications. The project will benefit from substantial match funding support from NextEnergy Capital, including the involvement of a multinational communications consultancy to deliver engagement activities and publicity materials. Key outputs from the project will include: (1) a short-list, with underpinning documentation, of 'decision-grade' nature-positive metrics for potential use in business decision-making; (2) a summary of current nature-positive investment in the solar value chain, detailing urgent need and future potential; and (3) a road map and associated policy brief looking towards integration of nature-positive metrics including recommendations for reporting. The project will contribute to a step change in awareness of the potential for nature-positive investments in the solar park industry through an impact and engagement programme involving press releases, promotion through existing networks and social media, a webinar hosted by a professional body, and two articles for professional bodies. These activities will promote the establishment of a nature-positive solar park investment community, with implications for the wider natural capital investment community.