Summary
Reed et al. analyse governance principles for ecosystem markets to prevent greenwashing and negative environmental and social outcomes. The paper proposes 15 operationalised principles and a governance hierarchy applicable to the United Kingdom's rapidly proliferating voluntary carbon and ecosystem service markets, representing the first comprehensive UK ecosystem market landscape assessment. This policy framework aims to support governments in responsibly scaling ecosystem markets whilst ensuring natural capital outcomes and public benefits.
UK applicability
Directly applicable to UK policy development; the analysis specifically examines UK ecosystem markets and proposes implementation pathways for UK governments developing governance regimes for voluntary markets and corporate insetting activities. The governance hierarchy is designed for national policy oversight within the UK jurisdictional context.
Key measures
Comparative analysis of ecosystem market governance principles; mapping of UK ecosystem market actors and market types (compliance, voluntary carbon, insetting); operationalisation framework for national-scale implementation
Outcomes reported
The study proposes 15 principles for high-integrity ecosystem markets operationalised at national scale, and maps a governance hierarchy for their implementation in UK markets. It provides the first comprehensive overview of compliance and voluntary carbon and ecosystem markets operating in the United Kingdom in 2025, alongside analysis of ecosystem market actors.
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