The Nature Investment Land Assessment (NILA) Toolkit provides insights into nature investment opportunities across Wales.
Users can visualise and explore land assessment scores and determine optimal locations for land use change and nature investment per 2.59 hectare hexagon.
Costs have been allocated to the land assessment indicating broad monetisation opportunities using the sources provided below.
The datasets within the toolkit have been created in partnership with Caerphilly County Council and funded by Innovate UK.
Methodology
The methodology underpinning the tool draws on datasets that cover Wales, assesses their individual components, assigns a score determining their potential, and then interpolates the output to a 2.59 hectare hexagon cell. Different facet of nature have been assessed, including biodiversity, renewable energy, wellbeing and access to nature, climate mitigation, climate adaptation, housing, soil, and agriculture. For further details on the methodology and assessment criteria, please contact us at cadence.support@cityscience.com.
Applying the Financial Figures
The NILA toolkit is designed to elevate the profile of nature-based investment by assigning indicative monetisation revenue per 2.59 hectare hexagon. The tables below show the source and information on how this monetisable revenue has been calculated. The monetisable revenue per hexagon has been scaled based on the scoring producing by the above methodology.
| Habitat | Carbon Sequestration/Saving per Hectare (tCO2e over 100years ) | Carbon Calculation Source | Price per tCO2e | Price Source | Revenue per Hectare (over lifetime) | Green Book Carbon Valuation (Meduim Series 2025) | Carbon Sequestration Valuation (Carbon Valuation Greenbook) | Monetisable Revenue per 2.59ha | Source |
| Woodland (Multiple, Mineral to Woodland) | 386 | 3.3 Project carbon sequestration – UK Woodland Carbon Code | £23 | Latest UK voluntary carbon price data published – UK Woodland Carbon Code | £8,994 | £260 | £100,360 | £23,294 | WCC |
| Woodland (Multiple, Organic to Woodland) | 365 | 3.3 Project carbon sequestration – UK Woodland Carbon Code | £23 | Latest UK voluntary carbon price data published – UK Woodland Carbon Code | £8,505 | £260 | £94,900 | £22,027 | WCC |
| Peatland (Extensive Grassland to Rewetted Fen) | 676 | PC_Fen Emission Calculator_v2.1 – Locked.xlsx | £19 | UK Carbon Price Index | IUCN UK Peatland Programme | £12,936 | £260 | £175,821 | £33,505 | PCC |
| Peatland (Crop Land to Rewetted Fen) | 1099 | PC_Fen Emission Calculator_v2.1 – Locked.xlsx | £19 | UK Carbon Price Index | IUCN UK Peatland Programme | £21,023 | £260 | £285,727 | £54,449 | PCC |
| Peatland (Intensive Grassland to Rewetted Fen) | 839 | PC_Fen Emission Calculator_v2.1 – Locked.xlsx | £19 | UK Carbon Price Index | IUCN UK Peatland Programme | £16,051 | £260 | £218,157 | £41,573 | PCC |
| Category | Pricing Source | Price per unit | Generation per ha | Monetisation Revenue per 2.59ha |
Biodiversity Net Gain | Statutory biodiversity credit prices – GOV.UK | £42,000 per ha | £42,000 per ha | £108,780 |
| Solar Electricity to the Grid | Wholesale market indicators | Ofgem | £80 per MWh | ~0.35 to 0.4 GWh/ha/year | £28,000 |
| Wind Electricity to the Grid | Wholesale market indicators | Ofgem | £80 per MWh | ~1.2 to 1.8 GWh/ha/year | £96,000 |