Nature market · England
Nutrient mitigation credits
Selling to private buyers: land use change or wetlands that cut nitrogen or phosphorus earn credits that housebuilders buy in nutrient neutrality areas.
- From
- Private credit schemes and brokers
- How much
- Reported private prices: about £3,000-£4,000 per kg nitrogen and around £50,000 per kg phosphorus (dates unclear).
- Who can apply
- Landowners in nutrient neutrality catchments in England.
What you’ll need
- Land committed for 80 to 125 years
- Binding legal agreement
How to apply
- Contact a local credit scheme, broker or EnTrade
- Take legal and tax advice (HMRC note on ecosystem services, May 2026)
Prices vary widely by catchment. Natural England also sells its own credits, which compete with private schemes.
Similar schemes
- Biodiversity Net Gain - selling off-site biodiversity units OpenNatural England (register) / local planning authoritiesCreate or improve habitat on your land and sell the 'biodiversity units' to developers who must make up for habitat lost.
- Environment Bank habitat banks OpenEnvironment Bank LtdLeases (or buys) your land for at least 30 years to create a habitat bank, pays you annually and sells the biodiversity units to developers itself.
- Stour Environmental Credits OpenStour Environmental Credits Ltd (Kent councils)Sells nutrient credits to developers in the Stour catchment and pays landowners to carry out mitigation (e.g. wetlands, stream enhancement) from the proceeds.
- EnTrade nature markets (nutrient, biodiversity, carbon) Open all yearEnTrade (Wessex Water spin-out; JV with Arup from 2026)Runs auction 'market rounds' where farmers offer projects such as wetlands, woodland, grassland or cover crops and developers or water companies bid to buy the resulting credits.
- Nattergal wildland habitat banks Open all yearNattergal LtdCreates large rewilding sites and sells biodiversity net gain units from them; partners with estates (e.g. Herstmonceux Castle Estate) to restore land and generate nature income.
- Natural England Nutrient Mitigation Scheme Open all yearNatural EnglandNatural England creates wetlands and other habitat to offset nutrient pollution, selling credits to developers; it works with landowners to find sites.
Checked against the official pages on 29 October 2026. Sources: 1, 2, 3. Always read the official page before you apply.