The future of asset management is nature-positive — are you ready?

Published: 1 May 2025

By Craig Holliday, Associate Director – Asset Management

In a world where climate risks, water scarcity, and biodiversity loss are escalating, asset management can no longer be business as usual. For those working across the UK water sector, this is not just a regulatory imperative — it’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reshape infrastructure around the rhythms and resilience of nature.

Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) are not new concepts. But their integration into the core machinery of asset management? That’s a game changer — and it’s happening right now.

Let’s break it down.

A sector under pressure

The UK water industry is grappling with increasing challenges: storm overflows, nutrient pollution, climate-driven droughts, and rising public scrutiny. Against this backdrop, £104 billion of enhancement investment through PR24 represents both a massive commitment and a powerful lever for change.

Embedding NbS and BNG into this investment cycle is how we ensure that the next wave of infrastructure isn’t just functional — it’s future-proof.

That means shifting from grey to green. From mitigation to regeneration. From cost centres to value creators.

What does nature-positive asset management look like?

It starts with a mindset. One where wetlands, woodlands, and river corridors are seen as core assets — delivering flood resilience, water quality improvements, and enhanced community wellbeing.

It means treating biodiversity not as a compliance tick box, but as a key performance indicator.

It involves baking NbS into the asset lifecycle — identifying nature-led interventions at the design stage, tracking habitat quality during operation, and planning for ecological uplift in decommissioning.

And yes, it means rethinking how we define value — expanding beyond CAPEX and OPEX to include carbon savings, ecosystem services, and social impact.

The tools exist — let’s use them

The Biodiversity Metric, Green Book guidance, CIRIA’s B£ST tool — we now have robust frameworks to quantify nature’s value and compare options on a like-for-like basis.

Digital asset management platforms can host geospatial habitat data, flag BNG obligations, and integrate nature targets with maintenance schedules.

The future of asset management is smart, connected, and nature-integrated. The tech is ready. The challenge is leadership.

Collaboration is the currency of change

To get this right, silos must break. Ecologists must work alongside engineers. Planners must engage with local communities. Asset managers must speak the language of natural capital.

The companies that succeed will be those that don’t wait for regulators to nudge them forward — but choose to lead.

A call to the sector

If you're in water, utilities, or infrastructure, the decisions you make now will echo for decades. By embedding NbS and BNG into asset management today, you're not only future-proofing your business — you're restoring the health of the systems that sustain us all.

Nature isn’t a ‘nice to have’. It’s our greatest ally in building resilient, adaptive infrastructure.

So, the question is — are you building for compliance… or for the future?