Agriculture & Farming

Understand Landscape Recovery funding for large-scale environmental projects

What Landscape Recovery is and whether it could suit your land. Covers the three-phase process (project development, implementation, land management), funding available (up to 500,000 development funding, 500 million total government commitment), current Round 1 and Round 2 projects, and the scheme's current closed-to-new-entrants status.

UK-wide
Guide summary

Apply for Landscape Recovery funding if you have a large land project focused on nature recovery, carbon storage, or other big environmental changes. This scheme is for 500+ hectares and supports collaborations with long-term plans, offering up to £500,000 for planning your project.

  • Targets large-scale environmental change on 500+ hectares
  • Funding up to £500,000 for project planning phase
  • Projects typically last 20+ years
  • Apply in competitive funding rounds
  • Best for collaboration between multiple landowners
  • Focuses on nature recovery, carbon, and habitat creation
  • It's different from SFI and Countryside Stewardship schemes
On this page
UK-wide

Related guides in Grants & Funding

Landscape Recovery is one of three Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes in England, alongside the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship. It is fundamentally different from the other two schemes - designed for large-scale, long-term, transformational change to land use.

This guide explains what Landscape Recovery involves, who can apply, and whether it might be relevant for your land or collaborative project.

Is Landscape Recovery for you?

The scheme is currently closed to new entrants - no third funding round has been opened, and the 22 Round 1 and 34 Round 2 projects continue. It is also not suitable for most individual farms. Unless you have 500+ hectares available for transformational change, or are part of a collaborative project with other landowners, SFI or Countryside Stewardship will be more appropriate for your needs.

What Landscape Recovery involves

Landscape Recovery supports projects that make fundamental, lasting changes to how land is used. Unlike SFI or Countryside Stewardship, which work within existing farming systems, Landscape Recovery typically involves changing the primary use of land from agriculture to nature recovery, carbon sequestration, or other environmental outcomes.

Minimum project size
500 hectares (typical projects are 500-5,000 hectares)
Agreement length
Up to 20+ years
Payment structure
Bespoke project-based agreements (not fixed rates)
Development funding
Up to 500,000 per project for planning phase
Government commitment
500 million over 20 years across the scheme
Application process
Competitive funding rounds with two phases - development then implementation

The three phases of Landscape Recovery

Successful Landscape Recovery projects progress through three distinct phases:

Phase 1: Project development

During development, projects receive funding (up to 500,000) to plan their approach. This phase covers:

  • Developing detailed project plans and environmental assessments
  • Building the partnership or collaboration structure
  • Securing agreements from all participating landowners
  • Creating monitoring and evaluation frameworks
  • Establishing governance arrangements for multi-party projects

Phase 2: Implementation

Implementation is when the physical changes to land use occur. This phase involves:

  • Executing the agreed land use changes
  • Establishing new habitats (wetlands, woodlands, grasslands)
  • Installing infrastructure for nature recovery
  • Beginning monitoring against agreed baselines

Phase 3: Land management

The long-term phase ensures the environmental outcomes are sustained over decades:

  • Ongoing management of restored habitats
  • Continued monitoring and reporting
  • Adapting management to achieve agreed outcomes
  • Maintaining the partnership arrangements

What Landscape Recovery funds

The scheme focuses on transformational environmental change at landscape scale:

Habitat restoration and creation:

  • Large-scale peatland restoration
  • Wetland creation and river restoration
  • Native woodland establishment
  • Species-rich grassland creation

Nature recovery networks:

  • Connecting fragmented habitats across ownership boundaries
  • Creating wildlife corridors at landscape scale
  • Establishing buffer zones around sensitive sites

Species recovery:

  • Habitat restoration for priority species
  • Reintroduction programmes
  • Population monitoring and management

Carbon and climate:

  • Carbon sequestration through peatland and woodland
  • Natural flood management at catchment scale
  • Climate resilience through landscape-scale interventions

Who can apply for Landscape Recovery

The scheme is currently closed to new entrants and no further rounds have been announced. When rounds were open, applications were accepted from:

  • Groups of landowners collaborating on a shared project spanning multiple holdings
  • Individual landowners with 500+ hectares available for transformational change
  • Partnerships between farmers, estates, conservation organisations, and other land managers
  • Public bodies where they are part of a wider collaborative project

Most successful projects involve collaboration between multiple parties. This reflects the scheme's landscape-scale ambition - connecting habitats and delivering outcomes that single holdings cannot achieve alone.

Current rounds and project status

Landscape Recovery operates through competitive funding rounds rather than rolling applications:

Round 1
22 projects now in development or delivery phase (the first projects entered delivery in August 2025)
Round 2
34 projects in development or delivery phase
Future rounds
The scheme is closed to new entrants - no Round 3 has opened and no further rounds have been announced
Funding commitment
£500 million over 20 years, committed in December 2025
Selection criteria
Environmental outcomes, deliverability, value for money, innovation

Round themes: Previous rounds focused on different priorities. Round 1 emphasised recovering and restoring England's threatened native species and wildlife-rich habitats. Round 2 expanded to include net zero contributions alongside nature recovery.

No further rounds have been announced. If a future round opens, it will be announced on the Defra Farming Blog and GOV.UK - monitor these sources if you are developing a project concept.

How Landscape Recovery compares to other ELM schemes

Understanding where Landscape Recovery fits helps identify whether it suits your situation:

Alternatives for smaller-scale nature recovery

If you want to contribute to nature recovery but do not have 500+ hectares or are not part of a collaborative project, other options are available:

The proposed Local Nature Recovery scheme was scrapped in January 2023 and never launched. Its intended role is covered by Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier and the expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive offer.

Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier also offers longer-term agreements (5-10 years) for managing priority habitats and designated sites. This may suit farms with SSSIs, commons, or other environmental features that do not meet the 500-hectare threshold for Landscape Recovery.

Developing a Landscape Recovery project

If you believe Landscape Recovery could suit your land or partnership, preparation is essential:

  1. 1

    Assess your land's potential

    Consider whether you have 500+ hectares (individually or collaboratively) with potential for transformational environmental change. Think about what outcomes could be achieved that cannot be delivered through SFI or Countryside Stewardship alone.

  2. 2

    Identify potential partners

    Most successful projects involve collaboration. Reach out to neighbouring landowners, conservation organisations, local authorities, and environmental NGOs who might share your objectives.

  3. 3

    Develop a project concept

    Before applying, develop a clear vision for what your project would achieve. What habitats would be created or restored? What species would benefit? What carbon outcomes could be delivered?

  4. 4

    Monitor funding round announcements

    Subscribe to the Defra Farming Blog and check GOV.UK regularly. The scheme is currently closed to new entrants and no further rounds have been announced - if one opens, it will come with specific themes and criteria your concept should align with.

  5. 5

    Prepare robust proposals

    When rounds open, applications are assessed on environmental benefits, deliverability, value for money, and innovation. Strong applications demonstrate clear outcomes, realistic timelines, and effective partnership governance.

Getting help with Landscape Recovery

Given the scale and complexity of Landscape Recovery projects, professional support is often valuable:

Government and agency support:

  • Natural England: Can advise on environmental priorities and designated sites
  • Forestry Commission: For woodland creation elements
  • Environment Agency: For water and flood management components
  • RPA helpline: 03000 200 301 for general queries

Professional and industry support:

  • CLA (Country Land and Business Association): Advice for landowners on large-scale schemes
  • NFU (National Farmers' Union): Member advice on environmental scheme participation
  • Wildlife Trusts: Potential partners for nature recovery projects
  • RSPB: Experience with landscape-scale conservation projects
  • Environmental consultants: Specialist advice on project development and applications