NatureBid project to improve water quality and flood management
What is NatureBid?
NatureBid is a reverse-style auction in which farmers and landowners can bid for works on their land to improve water quality and/or help with natural flood management.
The auction will run for two weeks from 4th- 15th October 2021.
During the auction, landowners can use the online bidding platform to select locations on their land where they’d like the works to take place and bid an amount they could provide the work for. Following a review, the most competitive bids will receive funding based on which achieve the best outcomes for the catchment.
NatureBid has been developed in partnership with the Environment Agency and the Sylva Foundation and is being delivered by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.
Suzie Knight, NFM Project Officer for the Upper Aire at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said: “Following the success of the first pilot auction in spring, we’re delighted to be able to offer this funding again to farmers and landowners in the Upper Aire catchment. There is so much opportunity in this area to implement measures which benefit both wildlife and landowners. As well as improving our waterways and helping alleviate flood risk downstream, the long term benefits of the work being done now will be enjoyed by generations to come”
What can types of work can landowners bid for?
Examples of works that could be successful in acquiring funding include buffer strips, new hedgerows, soil aeration, fencing, drinking point management and tree planting.
These interventions will help to improve water quality and reduce flood risk, and support the delivery of other environmental benefits such as protecting and improving soil health and enhancing biodiversity. They will also encourage carbon capture to help in the fight against the impacts of the climate emergency.
NatureBid is a great new funding opportunity allowing farmers and landowners to take the lead in identifying and carrying out works on their land to benefit the environment and their businessesYorkshire Farming and Wildlife Partnership
Iain McDonell, Environment Agency Senior Environment Officer for Agriculture said: “NatureBid offers an innovative way of providing funding and will enable landowners and farmers on the Upper Aire to more easily deliver enhancements for the environment that work for their land. This scheme is one part of the wide range of measures to improve the region’s resilience to the impacts of climate change. It will accelerate efforts to reach net zero and help achieve the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan goals for nature through effective nature-based solutions.”
Funding for NatureBid
Nature Bid is being funded by the Environment Agency through the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme (FAS).
The Leeds FAS project aims to help protect those at risk of flooding in Leeds and along the River Aire using a variety of Natural Flood Management measures in the catchment. These can be broadly split into three categories: river and floodplain management, woodland management and runoff management.
Bidding opens at noon on 4th October 2021 and will close at 5pm on 15th October 2021.
The auction runs from 4th- 15th October 2021
