River Usk Catchment: A feasibility study into effective nutrient credit trading system pilot

Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority invites proposals from consultants to carry out a feasibility study to help identify and prioritise opportunities to deploy nature-based solutions that contribute to unlocking planning development in the Usk catchment while improving the water quality of the river and its tributaries. A consequential piece of work which will inform and direct a basic nutrient credit trading pilot scheme on the River Usk. The study should focus primarily on developing a basic compliance market model, with a subsequent assessment of the viability of more complex mechanisms such as catchment permitting or potential voluntary or integrated markets that could be introduced at a later stage. The study should include, but not be limited to, the following objectives: 1) Identify and prioritise potential supply of nutrient credits 2) Assess and quantify current and future demand for credits 3) Explore place-based influences 4) Understand stakeholder perspectives 5) Recommended alternatives if nutrient market considered unviable 6) Future recommendations and roadmap of next steps A range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies will be required to address the key objectives. This should include the use of GIS analysis to identify and geolocate best mitigation options, priority reaches, pollution sources and pathways, receptors using available datasets. Stakeholder and landowner engagement should be undertaken to inform feasibility and foster future implementation guidance. Targeted walkovers should ground-truth and refine the assessment, identifying opportunities and constraints not evident from desk-based information. The supply side assessment should distinguish between strategic priorities and actionable opportunities and consider the valuation of future nutrient mitigation credits. Demand side assessment should evaluate viability of an effective market in near and longer terms and could consider innovative solutions to an asymmetric market where there is potentially limited demand for credits