INVESTING in nature projects could create 25,000 jobs, protect communities from flooding and help tackle climate change, environmental groups have said. 

The Wildlife and Countryside Link (Link) said today that it wants the government to deliver a “green recovery” from the pandemic by investing in 330 nature projects, including restoring meadows and peatlands. 

It claimed these projects would generate 10,000 jobs in the short term, as well as saving the government millions by improving flood defences and public health.

Link chief executive Richard Benwell explained: “Investing in nature can provide a short-term boost with thousands of jobs, and it can provide long-term, cost-effective protection against costly risks like flooding, soil degradation and climate change.”

The coalition of 58 environmental and wildlife groups said that 23 of the schemes would cost £34 million to implement but would produce an estimated £160m in benefits.

This has been calculated due to the benefits of preventing issues such as flooding, which costs the government £2.2bn a year. 

Restoring habitats such as bog lands, which act as natural flood defences, could therefore save huge amounts of money in the future, the groups argue. 

Mr Benwell said that investing in these projects gives Chancellor Rishi Sunak the chance to “grow back better” from the Covid-19 crisis as he plans to deliver the budget next month. 

A further 15,000 jobs could be created from similar projects if the government sticks to its 25-year environmental plan, he added. 

The coalition’s 330 projects would enhance 200,000 hectares (500,000 acres) of habitats such as woodlands, marshes, rivers and hedgerows and throw a lifeline to species at risk of extinction. 

More than two-fifths of British species have seen significant declines in recent decades, according to the State of Nature 2019 report, while 15 per cent are at risk of extinction. 

The government faces growing calls from across multiple sectors, including unions, businesses and charities, to embark on a “green recovery” in the wake of the pandemic.

In Edinburgh today climate activists and key workers will protest outside the Scottish government’s offices to coincide with the publication of a report  on the country’s economic recovery. 

Friends of the Earth Scotland’s director Dr Richard Dixon said that Holyrood must reject “a simple return to business as usual” following the crisis. 

“Instead, we need to see public investment in creating quality, sustainable jobs, introducing a more just tax system that redistributes wealth fairly, and strengthen and expand our vital public services,” she said.