A farming organisation has launched its largest group, covering eight counties across central England, including Oxfordshire.
More than 170 farmers attended the launch of The Environmental Farmers Group (EFG) central England at the Allerton Project in Leicestershire and Courteenhall Estate in Northamptonshire.
The group aims to provide natural capital investors with a single point of contact, and ensure farmers receive fair compensation for contributing to nature recovery and climate change mitigation.
Dr Johnny Wake, chairman of EFG Central England said: "We were delighted to host more than 100 farmers at one of the two inaugural meetings of the new EFG group here at Courteenhall and the Allerton Project launch event was equally well attended.
"As the biggest group geographically, we have got an exciting opportunity to deliver environmental improvement at scale and to help our members to gain access to natural capital markets."
EFG has already established a trading funnel boasting 22 trading opportunities valued at more than £25m.
Natural Capital Advisory (NCA), a subsidiary of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), oversees the brokering of these trades and aims to guarantee a high standard of environmental auditing services.
GWCT is a charity which promotes game and wildlife management as a key part of nature conservation.
GWCT chief executive Teresa Dent said: "It’s wonderful that such a large group of neighbouring farmers has shown enthusiasm for the concept of the rapidly expanding EFG.
"We look forward to welcoming them into the wider group and working with them on their large-scale conservation plan whilst helping them develop their distinctive cell with its unique geographical and cultural identity.
"Given the group’s proximity to large industrial urban areas there is huge potential for central England farmers to play a key role in delivering statuary and voluntary environmental offsets, meeting and beating government nature positive targets in the process."
In addition to its developing sister co-operatives, EFG now covers 660,000 acres, equivalent to 3 per cent of England’s farmed area.
Its community of 560 members and those that have registered an expression of interest are dedicated to providing support to Biodiversity and Species Recovery by 2030, and Clean Water and Carbon Net Zero by 2040.
Professor Chris Stoate, head of research at the GWCT Allerton Project Demonstration Farm, said: "For the past 30 years scientific research at the Allerton project has been focussed on delivering nature recovery alongside profitable farming.
"The EFG is a fantastic mechanism by which we can disseminate the wide range of evidence-based environmental measures we have developed.
"Our work on water-friendly farming will be of particular relevance as the central England region feeds many of the UK’s biggest river catchments."
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