From green roofs to parks and tree planting initiatives, nature-based solutions support biodiversity and bolster on-site resilience against climate-related threats to service delivery. By expanding public access to biodiversity, public sector organisations can enhance human health and strengthen collective efforts to address the interconnected climate and biodiversity crises.

Nature-based solutions (NbS) leverage natural features to address a range of social, economic, and environmental challenges. Public sector organisations in the UK can integrate NbS within their estates, protecting, restoring, and sustainably managing ecosystems to benefit their operations.

Public Policy Projects had the opportunity to speak with Terry Smithson, Head of Nature-based Solutions at BioScapes to gain their insights into of role of NbS in transforming urban environments and enhancing public estates’ environmental resilience. BioScapes provides specialist planters to support sustainable urban drainage and enhance biodiversity.

Why NbS are important for public sector estates

NbS can benefit most estates but are particularly important to public sector organisations for a number of reasons; firstly, regulatory enforcement, according to Smithson, is a key driver for those who wish to remain compliant with increasingly well-enforced legislation. The Environment Act 2021, for example, places a duty on public bodies to ‘conserve and enhance biodiversity’, underscoring the significance of on-site natural features.

Legal motivations aside, Smithson explained that NbS are an effective means for public organisations to educate and engage with local communities that may be interested in the benefits of biodiversity. As the easiest and most widely accessible locations for NbS, “public estates can raise awareness, create buy in, and help nature-based solutions to spread throughout society.” In other words, leveraging natural features on public land can foster a collective appreciation for their benefits and inspire similar action across other spaces.

Leading by example

At both a national and local level, it seems, the public sector’s adoption of NbS will be key to timely resilience building in the UK. According to Smithson, public buildings serve as the “low hanging fruit” for governments to fund, influence, and educate on NbS as the initial kickstart to their broader proliferation. This will be critical for risk management, as NbS serve to protect against increasing threats posed by climate-related weather events to public estates.

Stormwater flooding, for example, is a costly risk for public estates and their neighbouring sites as they typically consist of hard, impermeable surfaces that cannot absorb and retain runoff. At the heart of this issue, Smithson explains, “the public want to see change, but they don’t know how to create it. The more we lead by example on the public estate, the more we can inspire others to take action.” Tackling this challenge, and inspiring others to do so, will be fundamental as 4.6 million UK properties are at risk of flooding, with over 1 million categorised as ‘high-risk’.

On catalysing public engagement around biodiversity, Smithson recalled the installation of BioScapes planters in educational settings, parks, and care homes. By integrating natural features like flowers and wildlife habitats at an accessible height, size, and location, “we created something interactive that everyone could watch develop over time. It’s not just the plants, bees, butterflies, and hedgehogs that benefitted.” In doing so, on-site natural features have been effective at “breaking down social barriers” through the creation of socially inclusive, engaging, and educational environments.

Considering costs

The educational and operational benefits associated with NbS are only half of the equation. Their financial viability also makes a strong case for their integration within public estates. Contrary to the notion that NbS are costly to implement, Smithson notes, they are proven to save money in the short- and long-term.

Some NbS serve as sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), which can be more cost-effective to install than their ‘grey’ counterparts. In fact, Defra research showed that SuDS can be up to 30 per cent cheaper to construct and 25 per cent cheaper to maintain than standard drainage in new build projects.

As noted, NbS also save money through weather protections energy efficiency improvements. They are absorbent and have high stormwater retention, mitigating flood risks and their associated costs (in the winter of 2015/16 alone, they exacted £1.6 billion in costs). Retrofitted NbS can also reduce water bills, protect building weatherproofing, and improve thermal regulation to reduce energy costs during hot summers and cold winters.

The path forward

Smithson’s vision for the UK’s future is one that’s cleaner, greener, and more biodiverse than today. Embracing NbS and reconnecting with the natural world will be “not just vital for our wellbeing, but also vital for the planet”. Without active engagement in rebuilding this connection – both individually and collectively – it becomes impossible to learn how to protect the planetary systems that support human wellbeing and economic futures.

Nature has been deprioritised throughout urban development. Now it’s time to expand public access to biodiversity, rebuilding our relationships with the natural world. This approach can enhance human health and strengthen collective efforts to address the interconnected climate and biodiversity crises. As Smithson explained, NbS will be essential for building resilience, not only for the functioning of public estates, but also for the wellbeing of the communities they exist to serve.

Public Policy Projects will continue to support the sustainable optimisation of public sector services in 2025 through events including the Public Resilience Forum: Estates and Procurement, which will be free to attend for the public sector. For further information, please visit the event page here, and for partnership enquiries please contact Kieran Cornwell at kieran.cornwell@publicpolicyprojects.com.

You can learn more about Bioscapes’ services here.