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. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own land management schemes instead.
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
- 20 years or more
- 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
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 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 several holdings
- individual landowners with 500+ hectares available for transformational change
- partnerships between farmers, estates, conservation organisations and other land managers
- public bodies that 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.
Funding rounds and project status
Landscape Recovery operates through competitive funding rounds rather than rolling applications:
The scheme is closed to new entrants. No Round 3 has opened, and the Round 1 and Round 2 projects are in their development or delivery phases.
- Round 1
- 22 projects (first entered delivery August 2025)
- Round 2
- 34 projects
- Future rounds
- None announced
- Funding commitment
- £500 million over 20 years (committed December 2025)
- Selection criteria
- Environmental outcomes, deliverability, value for money, innovation
Previous rounds focused on different priorities. Round 1, launched in February 2022, focused on species recovery and river restoration. Round 2 focused on net zero, protected sites and wildlife-rich habitat.
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.
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:
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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.
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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.
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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?
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Monitor funding round announcements
Subscribe to the Defra Farming Blog and check GOV.UK regularly. The scheme is 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.
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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. Natural England can advise on environmental priorities and designated sites, the Forestry Commission on woodland creation, and the Environment Agency on water and flood management. For general queries, call the RPA helpline on 03000 200 301.
The CLA (Country Land and Business Association) advises landowners on large-scale schemes, and the NFU advises its members on environmental schemes. The Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB have experience of landscape-scale conservation and can be partners in nature recovery projects. Environmental consultants can advise on project development and applications.
Legal basis
Primary legislation and key regulations
Read it on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab) legislation.gov.uk