Skip to main content

Land, Environment, Economics and Policy Institute (LEEP)

UK Natural Capital Committee Reports

A message from the Chair - Professor Dieter Helm 

The commitment “to be the first generation to leave the natural environment of England in a better state than it inherited” was made in the 2011 Natural Environment White Paper, ‘The Natural Choice’. The world’s first Natural Capital Committee (NCC) was then established in 2012 to “advise the Government on the state of natural capital in England.” Over the past nine years and over its two terms, the NCC has advised seven Defra Secretaries of State on natural capital and published extensive, high impact advice 

The Committee’s work has transformed the nation’s understanding of the importance of natural capital for economic prosperity and human wellbeing, with natural capital principles fully entrenched into government policy, all while keeping within and delivering its Terms of Reference in full . The Committee’s greatest achievement is recommending a long-term, 25 Year Environment Plan (25 YEP) to protect and improve the environment . In 2018, the then Prime Minister launched the 25 YEP, following further advice from the NCC.

The 25 YEP is a huge achievement – however, the absence of progress since 2011 is more notable than the successes . The NCC was specifically requested to provide scrutiny of the 25 YEP annual Progress Reports, paving the way for the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) to undertake this function in the future . The Committee’s assessment of government’s first two Progress Reports highlights the need for natural capital asset-based metrics and a comprehensive baseline census to effectively report on progress . In 2019, the Committee set out in its detailed advice to government how this should be conducted, and subsequently repeated on a five-year cycle . These building blocks are essential if the objectives of the 25 YEP are to be met.

This is a pivotal moment with the most significant environmental legislation in a generation passing through Parliament . The Environment Bill will place the 25 YEP on a statutory footing, establish long-term, legally binding targets for environmental improvement, and create an independent body – the OEP – to hold government to account on progress against its environmental objectives . The NCC has advised that the Environment Bill should go further by establishing a framework for statutory interim targets and replace the biodiversity net gain with environmental net gain . Only an environmental net gain approach in planning and development will ensure that aggregate natural capital is maintained and enhanced . Without these changes, there is a real danger that this once in a lifetime opportunity to legislate for improving England’s natural environment and realise the huge economic opportunities that this presents will be lost.

Let me conclude by thanking all of the members who have served on the NCC for the last nine years – and our secretariat – giving their time, energy and commitment generously and putting in effort far beyond what is required of them.

Read more from Professor Dieter Helm

Professor Dieter Helm

Chair of the UK Natural Capital Committee

UK Natural Capital Committee Reports/Documents and Working papers

Publications title Dates

The Green Book guidance: embedding natural capital into public policy appraisal - update

November 2020

Natural Capital Committee  - End of Term Report To the Domestic and Economy Implementation Committee of the Cabinet  

November 2020

State of Natural Capital Annual Report

2020

The Green Book guidance: embedding natural capital into public policy appraisal

March 2020

Advice on using nature based interventions to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050

April 2020

Government response to NCC2020 Annual Report

June 2020  

NCC interim response to Govt 25 YEP and Progress Report and advice on a green recovery

July 2020

NCC Final Response to 25 Year Environment Plan Progress Report

October 2020

The Natural Capital Committee's advice on an environmental baseline census of natural capital stocks: an essential foundation for the government's 25 Year Environment Plan

September 2019

The Natural Capital Committee's Response to the 25 year Environment Plan Progress Report

September 2019

Natural Capital Committee advice to government on net environmental gain

September 2019

Natural Capital terminology

August 2019

Net enviornmental gain: The Natural Capital Committee's response to Defra's commission‌

May 2019

Marine and the 25 Year Environmental Plan

May 2019

Advice on soil management

May 2019

State of Natural Capital Committee Annual Report 2019 - Sixth Report to the Economic Affairs Committee of the Cabinet

2019

Natural Capital Committee - Annual Report 2018 - Fifth report to the Economic Affairs Committee 

2018

NCC advice to National Planning Policy Framework Consultation

1 May 2018

Improving Natural Capital - An assessment of progress  - Fourth report to the Economic Affairs Committee 2017

2017

How to do it: a natural capital workbook - Version 1

2017

Advice to Government on the 25 Year Environment Plan

September 2017

NCC advice on 25 YEP to Michael Gove cover letter 

September 2017

Natural Capital Committee advice on natural capital valuation

April 2017

Natural Capital Committee Protecting and Improving Natural Capital for Propserity and Wellbeing - January 2015 - Third Annual Report

January 2015

Natural Capital Committee research improving cost benefit analysis guidance - February 2015

January 2015

Natural Capital Committee research: corporate natural capital accounting - January 2015 - The Framework was developed by the NCC, working with eftec, RSPC and PwC

Over the course of 2014 this framework was piloted with four major landowners

January 2015

Natural Capital Committee research: investing in natural capital (January 2015)

January 2015

NCC Discussion paper: Economic growth and natural capital

September 2015

Advice to Government on Research Priorities - Advice to Government on Research Priorities

Revised September 2015

The State of Natural Capital - Protecting and Improving Natural Capital for Prosperity and Wellbeing‌ - Third report to the Economics Affairs Committee. Natural Capital Committee

2015

The government's response to the NCC third State of Natural Capital report 

2015

Reports from research projects carried out in the Committee’s initial term (2012 to 2015) to develop metrics and assess risks to natural capital . These projects have informed the summary presented in the second state of natural capital report: - 

Natural Capital Committee research: developing metrics for natural capital

2012-2015

Government response to NCC 2nd Annual Report 2014

2014

Working Paper - Introduction to the Natural Captial Committee's Corporate Natura

2014

Working Paper - Towards a Framework for Defining and Measuring Changes in Natural Capital

March 2014

Natural Capital Committee advice to Government on research priorities

March 2014

The State of Natural Capital Committee: Restoring our Natural Assets: Second report to the Economics Affairs Committee

March 2014

The State of Natural Capital: Towards a framework for measurement and valuation: A report from the Natural Capital Committee 2013

2013

The Government's response to the NCC first annual report 2013

2013

NCC Discussion paper: Unnatural capital accounting‌

December 2013‌

Principles for guiding UK forestry ‌ - cover letter to Secretary of State 19th D

19 December 2012

Natural Capital Committee principles for guiding UK forestry

19 December 2012

Natural Capital Committee Information Sheet

3 December 2012

Why should we value nature?

19 October 2012