LUC partnered with Natural England to develop a new online toolkit that helps unlock both public and private sector funding for Protected Site Strategies (PSS).

Designed to support nature recovery across designated sites, the new PSS toolkit makes complex finance concepts accessible to a wide range of users, from local communities to environmental practitioners.

To respond to the varied needs of potential users, the LUC team produced four versions of the toolkit. Each version focused on a different audience: local communities, businesses and project partners and practitioners. LUC also created a fully accessible version in plain English, written to reach people who may be less familiar with technical or policy language.

LUC developed four versions of the guidance, each tailored to different audiences. One version speaks to local communities, another supports businesses and project partners, and a third is written for practitioners. Each version is highly visual and easy to navigate. The design encourages learning, inspires action, and highlights success stories.

A fully accessible version in plain English is also available.

Throughout the content, LUC avoided jargon to make the guidance more inclusive. Instead of using terms like “green finance,” the toolkit refers more simply to “funding opportunities.” This choice helps ensure that users from all backgrounds can engage with the material.

The guidance leads users through each stage of delivering a PSS. It begins with how to get started and how to identify the main environmental pressures on a site. It then explores how to build partnerships and plan for long-term delivery. Later sections explain how to combine public grants with private investment, using natural capital thinking and emerging nature markets to unlock new sources of funding.

The toolkit also contains links to useful external resources, including content from the Green Finance Institute.

This is the first version of the toolkit. LUC and Natural England plan to update the content over time as new Protected Site Strategies are developed and tested across England.

By making nature recovery funding easier to understand and access, the toolkit empowers more organisations and individuals to take action.

With government backing and strong demand for environmental investment, this guidance plays an important role in restoring and protecting designated sites across the country.