Zulu Ecosystems and Environmental Farmers Group (EFG) partner to help farmers in the South of England identify opportunities for high-impact woodland creation and participate in the woodland carbon market. 

A landscape-scale nature restoration initiative is set to transform woodland creation efforts in the south of England with support from Defra’s Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF).  

Led by the Environmental Farmers Group (EFG) and in partnership with Zulu Ecosystems, this landmark programme will support farmers across three cluster groups in the south of England, covering approximately 600,000 hectares of land. 

Zulu Ecosystems will give EFG farm cluster members a comprehensive woodland landscape assessments on their land, enabling them to see which sites are most suitable for new woodland creation, most environmentally impactful, and most marginal for agriculture. The aim is to enhance native woodland habitats that sequester carbon and deliver wider social and environmental benefits, all while adding long-term value to farms from woodland carbon credits.  

"By helping farmers to work together in shaping a compelling plan for the landscape, we can deliver large scale nature projects that combine environmental impact, financial viability and community support," said Ed Asseily, CEO of Zulu Ecosystems. 

Woodland scoping and aggregation model 

Once we have identified the opportunities for woodland creation, Zulu Ecosystems will provide detailed woodland scoping reports. These will outline the costs involved in the development and delivery of the project, as well as the amount of available grant funding, projected carbon units that can be sequestered, along with carbon value analysis. 

One of the project's key innovations is its aggregation model. By combining smaller woodland projects with larger programmes, Zulu Ecosystems aims to reduce planning and delivery costs, particularly around carbon registration, measurement, and monitoring, while meeting the scale requirements of the Woodland Carbon Code, corporate investors, and buyers that want to commit to large-scale impactful projects.

"Our goal is to make woodland creation financially viable and ensure that all farmers and landowners can participate in the woodland carbon market,” said Alex Robinson, Commercial Director at Zulu Ecosystems and Partner at Moor Wood Farm. 

Scaling for market demand

This project marks the first of its kind for Zulu Ecosystems and EFG farm cluster members, establishing a replicable model that has potential to scale responsible woodland creation across the UK. 

Find out more

For more information on how to regenerate landscapes as a farmer, landowner or volunteer, please contact hello@zuluecosystems.com.