Natural capital
We help clients value, protect, and enhance the natural assets that underpin long‑term resilience and responsible growth.
Natural capital is the foundation of environmental and economic value. For landowners, estates, developers, and investors, understanding and managing natural assets -woodlands, soils, wetlands, biodiversity, water, and ecosystem services – is now central to strategic decision‑making. As regulation evolves and nature markets mature, we guide clients through the frameworks that support responsible land management, environmental value creation, and long‑term stewardship.
Nature markets, biodiversity net gain, conservation covenants, habitat banking, and carbon or nutrient offsetting are reshaping how land is valued and managed. We help clients navigate these opportunities with clarity, ensuring projects are compliant, commercially viable, and environmentally credible. Our work also supports the integration of renewable energy and low‑carbon infrastructure where it strengthens natural capital outcomes and estate resilience.
As a certified B Corp, our commitment to sustainability runs deep. We use our legal expertise to help clients make decisions that stand up environmentally, commercially, and socially – today and for the long term.
We’ve been helping clients navigate sustainability long before it became a regulatory buzzword. We support clients across the full natural capital landscape, helping them unlock environmental and commercial value from their land and assets. Our advice spans planning, property, private wealth, and commercial sectors, ensuring clients stay ahead of regulation while delivering measurable natural value.
How our natural capital team can help
We offer support to developers and housebuilders during sustainable developments, overseeing BNG delivery, off‑site mitigation, and nature‑based planning obligations.
From grant-applications to regulatory compliance with the Woodland Carbon Code, our solicitors work to mitigate risks and support long‑term stewardship.
We work with local authorities, structuring agreements, securing habitat banks, and ensuring compliance with emerging nature frameworks.
From drafting and reviewing natural capital and credit agreements to structuring land use, ownership, and tax planning for credit generation, we help landowners unlock their environmental and commercial value.
We work with private clients and estates to advice on long‑term environmental land management, succession, and diversification. From planning habitat creation and navigating nature markets to supporting transactions and environmental reporting, our end-to-end legal services are designed to support long‑term stewardship.
We offer strategic advice on water neutrality, helping clients navigate changes to legislation following the withdrawal of the mandatory neutrality requirements established by Natural England.
Why choose Cripps?
At Cripps, natural capital isn’t a slogan – it’s how we work. As a B Corp, we hold ourselves to high standards, but what matters most is how we help clients make confident, future‑proof decisions across land, estates energy and the environment.
We understand the pressures facing landowners, developers, private clients and businesses as they navigate BNG, nature markets, renewable energy, EV infrastructure and wider obligations. Our advice is practical, commercial and grounded in real‑world delivery – turning regulatory change into opportunity.
Key contacts
Our energy and environmental experience
Net Zero Journey with Ecologi
Cripps partnered with Ecologi to embed sustainability into its business values and legal practice. The firm has been working for over five years to reduce its carbon footprint, aiming for net-zero emissions. This included carbon footprinting, emissions reduction planning, and employee engagement initiatives
Wates Wildscape
Together we explored off-site habitat creation as a solution for meeting Biodiversity Net Gain requirements. This approach helps developers remain compliant when on-site options fail, enables landowners to generate value through biodiversity credits, and ensures planners receive transparent, long-term ecological outcomes for resilient national networks.
Building a Greener Future with Kennedy Wilson
Partnered with Kennedy Wilson to deliver sustainable, energy-efficient rental homes across the UK. Providing strategic legal expertise, Cripps managed acquisitions, planning, and environmental compliance. This collaboration ensured the portfolio met strict EPC standards and sustainability targets.
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