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How Will The Landscape Recovery Scheme Work?

Those landowners and managers who are currently looking to the future, keen to adopt a more radical and large-scale approach to the production of environmental and climate goods on their land may find the government’s new Landscape Recovery Scheme of particular interest.

The scheme itself is one of three new environmental land management initiatives, designed to complement the sustainable farming initiative and support action at farm level to further sustainability of the industry. The Local Nature Recovery plan will also support local action to make more room for nature, alongside food production.

The initial focus for the scheme will be on water quality, biodiversity and net zero, with projects funded that contribute to these outcomes over a long period, featuring substantial changes to habitats and land use.

The expectation is that the initiative’s pilot projects alone will create a minimum of 20,000ha of wilder landscapes, rewetted peat and afforestation, and habitats at a landscape scale.

The first round of projects will focus on restoring England’s streams and rivers, improving adaptability to climate change and improving biodiversity and water quality. Potential projects could reduce nutrient pollution, restore waterways to a more natural state, improve flood mitigation and climate change resilience, or benefit aquatic species.

First round projects will also put the focus on the restoration of threatened native species in England, with projects seeing priority habitats recovered, as well as habitat quality and species abundance.

The Landscape Recovery scheme is open to any groups or individuals that are keen to deliver large-scale projects of between 500 and 5,000ha. They will be able to submit bids for development funding, with all land types considered eligible, including common land and or any sites that are either inside or outside protected areas.

The land can also be under any management control or any current use, including foresting and farming, managed by public bodies, estates or as individual holdings. Public bodies submitting bids will need to apply in partnership with other land managers, such as neighbouring tenants or landowners.

Applications for the first round of pilot projects will be assessed against set criteria, focusing on the feasibility, costs and potential impact of the project. Criteria will cover longevity, costs, project leadership and delivery, social impact, carbon and climate resilience, and environmental benefits.

For this first round, the aim is to work with bids from up to 15 sites, with a roughly even split across both themes. Each round will see the highest-scoring projects with development funding, supporting more detailed planning over a two-year period.

When this comes to an end, successful projects will proceed to implementation, with funding agreed from the private sector and Defra.

If, at the end of the development phase, projects fail to meet the requirements for further funding, support will be provided to identify more appropriate alternative opportunities and support mechanisms.

So why is water efficiency important? Get in touch with the H2o Building Services team today to discuss this topic with our water consultants.