Statutory guidance

Guidance for Natural England on securing conservation measures

Published 17 September 2026

Applies to England

This guidance covers Natural England’s approach (or that of any organisation operating on its behalf) to securing conservation measures under Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs), as part of the Nature Restoration Fund.

1. Securing conservation measures

The Nature Restoration Fund will allow eligible developers to address certain impacts on specified protected sites or species through levy payments.

Payments will be aggregated by Natural England, and EDPs will be utilised to deliver strategic interventions at scale to secure an environmental improvement. EDPs are therefore well placed to demonstrate sustained and quantified demand for specific nature services, providing certainty and confidence for suppliers and (where applicable) their investors.

A wide range of suppliers will be important for the delivery of conservation measures, including landowners and land managers, habitat banks, environmental non-governmental organisations and ecological consultancies.

An EDP will set out the conservation measures required to meet an overall improvement test. Subject to meeting all statutory requirements, Natural England’s approach to securing conservation measures should support the growth of nature services markets and the supplier base.

2. Aligning with relevant standards

Where applicable, Natural England should align with the British Standards Institution’s Nature Investment Standards or other relevant standards which can command the confidence of suppliers, developers and the public.

Where no suitable standard exists, Natural England should, where practicable, develop service standards or other specifications for conservation measures that can be applied consistently across multiple EDPs. Relevant requirements should be clearly set out in the EDP or associated documentation.

3. Fair and open procurement

Natural England (or those acting on their behalf) should adopt fair and open competition, in accordance with procurement legislation and policy, as the preferred route for securing conservation measures.

Where, in the process of preparing or amending an EDP, Natural England identifies ecological, geographical or value for money considerations that require a departure from competitive procurement routes, this should be made clear to the Secretary of State, together with an explanation of the reasons for the approach.

In the case of a new EDP, this explanation should be provided before the draft EDP is published for public consultation.

4. Monitoring and evaluation of commercial strategy

EDPs represent a new approach to securing environmental improvement, and as such Natural England should take a test and learn approach to the commercial delivery of conservation measures.

In practice, this means that Natural England should:

• ensure that lessons from early EDPs are captured and used to inform the commercial approach for future EDPs

• adopt a flexible approach to securing conservation measures across the lifetime of an EDP, in order to adapt to developer demand and changing supply markets

As the Nature Restoration Fund matures, Natural England should develop and refine an overarching commercial approach in consultation with Defra. This should draw on evidence from early delivery, market feedback, and related policy developments.