Ecosystem Enterprise Partnership (EEP)

The water in the Milford Haven Waterway and the surrounding Pembrokeshire Marine and Cleddau Rivers Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) contains too much nitrogen and phosphorus. This means it fails to meet statutory water quality standards and the nutrient enrichment threatens important and protected habitats.  These designated bodies of water not meeting adequate levels of environmental condition is also causing challenges to future development. 

The Ecosystem Enterprise Partnership is developing a framework for creating an enterprise capable of running a nutrient based trading scheme that is able to: 

  • Pay land managers for undertaking actions that benefit the natural environment beyond regulatory requirement 
  • Secure sustainable economic development and future investment opportunities 

Nutrient Trading

Nutrient trading is an innovative tool that can provide cost effective approach to reducing pollution (excess nutrients) through working with landowners to implement conservation and restoration practices. Once the environmental benefits are verified, nutrient trading will allow those that require these environmental benefits to pay their fair share of the implementation of the conservation measures while ensuring the overall reduction of nutrients. 

PCF would like to see nutrient trading enable continual environmental improvement while allowing development to play a role in restoration.   

Through the Ecosystem Enterprise Partnership (EEP), Pembrokeshire Coastal Forum has led in collaboration with a wide variety of stakeholders a series of projects building on findings of each and creating the foundations to enable nutrient trading. 

EEP - Ecobank

2014-2015

A nutrient offsetting feasibility study
.

Building Resilience into Catchments (BRICs)

2017-2021

A combination of on the groundwork to reduce nutrients and the creation of a nutrient trading development plan.

EEP - Building Natural Solutions

2021-2022


A focus on the challenge of Phosphorus and housing development through the Pembrokeshire Local Development Plan.