SISC leads BSI Code of Practice on nature market community benefits 

Matthew Hannon, Professor of Sustainable Energy Business and Policy in the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Innovation, and Director of the Strathclyde Institute for Sustainable Communities (SISC), has been acting as Lead Technical Author on behalf of the British Standards Institute (BSI) for over a year now.  

He has been developing a Code of Practice for the Nature Investment Standards (NIS) Programme on “Nature markets – Community engagement and benefits from natural capital projects”.  

The NIS programme is sponsored by DEFRA and the Scottish Government, and its aim is to establish a standards framework that creates a high-integrity market for investment in natural capital. 

The Code of Practice led by Professor Hannon presents best practice guidance on how best to engage with – and create benefit for – communities in close proximity to these natural capital projects. 

The Code of Practice is now being reviewed by an expert Advisory Group for feedback, which will then be revised prior to the standard going out to public consultation in mid-2026.  

Professor Hannon said, “The hope is that the final Code of Practice will go live in late 2026, when it will be made available for industry to adopt. By sharing best practice on community engagement and benefit creation, it will help them to ensure their natural capital projects – such as reforestation and peatland restoration - are designed in a way that empower and enrich local communities.” 

Published: 7 November 2025