We have just completed the final evaluation of this ground breaking project, funded jointly by NLHF and the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. Nature North has brought together many of the big environmental players in the region, and created a collaborative model for scaling up green investment. Based around the development of 7 ‘investable propositions’, of which 2 are already in existence – Great North Bog and Northern Forest, and 5 new ones around themes such as rivers, farming and urban environments, the project has endeavoured to position itself as a potentially important component of the regional economy.
The evaluation, undertaken through stakeholder interviews, an online survey and reflective practice workshops, concluded that
“Nature North has successfully created a shared regional voice for nature recovery in the North, bringing together environmental, political and financial stakeholders. It has catalysed pan-regional collaboration, strengthened partnership working, and developed effective advocacy for nature recovery – despite capacity constraints and the fact that nature markets have not progressed as quickly as had been anticipated.”
R4C’s approach to the evaluation process was praised by project staff
“You have been brilliant at navigating the complexity of Nature North and we’re very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with you!”