Issue
The UK is one of the most nature depleted countries in the world. With nature in freefall and communities at risk of climate change events.
Financial institutions have a vital role to play in the transition to a sustainable future. The sector needs a transformational shift to help slow climate change, otherwise the UK will not be able to meet its net zero target.
Solution
Between 2021-2025, WWF and Aviva embarked on an ambitious partnership to restore landscapes and shorelines, build healthier and more resilient communities, inspire and enable public action, and act as joint advocates for businesses to realign the UK finance sector to achieve net zero and embed nature into considerations and actions.
Our partnership has shown that when the finance and environment sectors unite, we can create lasting change. Together, we worked with nature to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises, helped to change political policy and public opinion, and connected tens of thousands of people to the natural world across the country through community volunteering, local engagement and events, and educational opportunities.
results
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© Andrew Parkinson / WWF-UKMore Wild Ingleborough
Restoring peatlands, woodland and heathland as part of the Wild Ingleborough project in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
- 57,737 trees planted to connect areas of woodland.
- 10,000 plugs of sphagnum moss planted to shield the land from floods (sphagnum moss can hold 20 times its own weight in water).
- 360.6 hectares of land and woodland under restoration, conserving critical habitats for iconic wildlife like black grouse and curlew, and protecting against flooding.
- 3000+ direct beneficiaries engaged with through our Aviva-funded Engagement Officer, offering volunteering opportunities and sharing knowledge on nature with groups, schools and colleges.
- 9 natural flood management interventions installed.
- 7,074 community volunteering hours delivered.
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© Steve Morgan / WWF-UKMore Firth of Forth
Restoring seagrass meadows and native oyster beds in the Firth of Forth in Scotland.
Working closely with local communities and raising awareness of the benefits of marine restoration to bring the heritage of the coastal communities back to life.
- Supported the planting of 156,000 seagrass plants across 2.27 hectares of new meadows.
- helped reintroduce 29,600 native oysters to the Firth of Forth.
- Supported 11,000+ community engagements.
- 5,375 direct beneficiaries learning skills, sharing knowledge and building relationships.
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© Jiri Rezac / WWF-UKMore East Anglia
Restoring the natural flow of rivers in East Anglia to reduce flooding within a number of catchments through natural flood management, building physical and community resilience in this unique, largely agricultural landscape.
- 35 community volunteer days attended by 155 volunteers, 1,085 hours delivered.
- 139 school pupils reached via direct engagement.
- 2,485 Aviva volunteering hours delivered.
- 24 events held on nature recovery, river heath, natural flood management, and health benefits.
- 885.9 million litres - more than 350 Olympic swimming pools - of water replenished in the landscape.
- 13 natural flood management interventions installed across four locations, impacting three villages.
- 550 farmers and landowners indirectly reached via events and communications.
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© Joseph Gray / WWF-UKMore River Soar
Restoring the natural flow of rivers in the East Midlands. Funding innovative natural flood-management initiatives that will create multiple benefits for nature, while building greater climate resilience within the wider community.
- 143 natural flood management interventions installed.
- Estimated 1,130 homes benefitting from increased flood resilience thanks to natural flood measure.
- Impact report on barriers to natural flood management created to support advocacy for policy change with UK government.
- 15,000+ people indirectly engaged via surveys, social media and communications campaigns.
- Local Flood Aware campaign launched, with trolley token produced, including dedicated website and social media promotion.
- 84% of local survey respondents feel that they have greater awareness and understanding about flood risk and natural flood management as a result of the project.
- Comprehensive strategic framework created to guide further activities across catchment.
- 4,759 people directly engaged via project events.
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© Andrew Parkinson / WWF-UKMore Saltmarsh Research Project, Lancashire
This research - carried out in partnership with Aviva, and in collaboration with the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) - represents a significant step in addressing critical knowledge gaps in saltmarsh management. The project will also monitor the role these important habitats can play in fighting climate change and removing carbon emissions from the atmosphere.
Watch the video to find out more -
© WWF-UKMore Save our Wild Isles community fund
WWF, Aviva and the RSPB came together to launch the Save Our Wild Isles Community Fund, to make it easier for communities to take action for UK nature in their local area. From the Scottish Highlands, right down to the Cornish Riviera, nearly 250 groups took part, collectively raising over £2.5 million, from over 12,000 supporters, to help bring UK nature back to life.
Read more about the community fund -
© In The Dark / WWF-UKMore Access to nature fund
WWF, Aviva and Norfolk Rivers Trust, provided funding to help more than 40 community groups in Norfolk connect with nature.
Hear from some of the groups we supported -
© Getty Images / Artur Debat / WWF-USMore Transforming the finance sector
Read the reports;
National Nature-positive pathways to guide policy and private sector action: In our October 2024 joint report – National Nature-positive pathways to guide policy and private sector action, WWF-UK and our partner Aviva outline the case for the development of government-endorsed nature-positive sectoral pathways, so that the private sector and the Government can tackle the nature emergency together.
Unlocking finance for nature: learning from experience in driving climate action: Our fourth policy paper, released December 2022, outlines a seven-step pathway to support governments internationally to mobilise the private finance required to tackle the nature crisis.
A UK Net Zero Investment Plan for Green Growth: Our third paper, released in October 2022, called for a net-zero investment plan, to catalyse private finance to deliver green growth in the UK and deliver wider benefits such as improved energy security and alleviating the rising cost of living.
Aligning the Financial System to Net-Zero: In May 2022, we released a second paper setting out future steps we believe the UK Government should take to embed and accelerate the net-zero transition, supported by the financial sector. It spans policy on private sector transition plans, a transitioning planning approach in government, and the integration of nature.
Transition plans for a net zero future: June 2021 saw the power of our partnership. Together we successfully called on the UK Government to introduce mandatory net-zero transitions plans for financial institutions, including through our first position paper, which the government then announced at COP26.
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© Kevin Lamb / WWF-CanadaMore Nature and Climate Grant Programme (Canada)
Aviva Canada is investing over $2 million over three years in WWF-Canada's Nature and Climate Grant program, to help local groups and Indigenous organisations restore degraded lands and shorelines in order to improve habitats and capture carbon.
Read more about the program
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