This is a guest post by Mary-Ann Ochota. Mary-Ann Ochota is the Chair of the Protected Landscapes Partnership. The Partnership brings together England’s National Parks, National Trails, National Landscapes, Natural England and Defra, to secure better outcomes for people, landscape and Nature. Together, we manage 25% of England and 4,900 miles of trail corridor.
£30 million for wildlife
The new Wildlife-Rich Habitat Fund (WRHF) is now live, and I'm delighted. It’s a new pot of money - £30 million - to create wildlife-rich habitats in National Parks and National Landscapes in England.
Working with local land managers, conservation groups, farmers and other partners, our Parks and Landscapes teams will be bringing new ponds, broadleaf woodlands, traditional hay meadows, bogs and other essential habitats to life.
Why it matters to all of us
These habitats are crucial if we are to turn the tide on the crippling biodiversity loss our nation faces. And, because nature is amazing, those wildlife-rich habitats will also deliver clean water, clean air, protection from drought, flooding and soil erosion, greater carbon sequestration, species-rich fodder for livestock, homegrown fruit for humans, and healthy, buzzing landscapes for us all to enjoy.
Wildlife-rich habitats underpin agricultural productivity, climate resilience, economic security and human health. Which is a win for all. The story always routes back to healthy nature. That’s why we need to consistently treat National Parks and National Landscapes - collectively known as Protected Landscapes, and between them covering 25% of England - as critical national infrastructure. It’s not hyperbole to say that our lives depend on them.
Trusted to get on with it
The money is one element of why the WRHF is good news. But the other, more fundamental element, is that it affirms a new direction of travel: Defra are empowering the Protected Landscapes teams to plan delivery, then get on with it. Why? because we’re trusted. We know our local partners, our local places and we’re the experts in delivering for nature – so here’s the money and off we go. This kind of light-touch, quick-turnaround, trust-building way of working with central Government is hugely welcome.
Protected Landscapes teams can now more easily empower their own networks of farmers, landowners and wildlife organisations to deliver more, work better together, and get the project done efficiently.
We’re showing that Protected Landscapes are where money works hard, and the returns are great.
From Hadrian's Wall to the Cheviot Hills
In Northumberland National Park, Rosie Thomas describes how the National Park team will be providing individual advice to land managers but also working through their established farmer network groups to create the most urgently needed habitats identified in the National Park’s Management Plan.
Rosie Thomas, Director of Business Development, said:
“This backing will benefit our communities, farmers, landowners and our visitors.
It’s clean water, improved air quality and more resilient and diverse landscapes. It’s more space for our iconic species like curlew and red squirrels, and our beautiful hay meadows. It’s a better landscape for everyone.”
It will ensure that new projects build on the work already underway, creating better connected habitats right across the landscape, from Hadrian’s Wall to the Cheviot Hills.
Meadows, wetlands and wild hedgerows
On-the-ground projects are really important. They are the shop window – a visceral statement about what Protected Landscapes stand for. A traditional hay meadow in the Yorkshire Dales, audibly buzzing with insect life, water birds spotted on new wetland routes through Cranbourne Chase, revitalised Cornish hedges brimming with native plants, like a wild version of the Chelsea Flower Show.
These projects tell a more immediate story than a blog or technical report ever can. And they make sense to all: school kids, ecologists, farmers, politicians. That’s important too, because everyone needs to understand and back this critical work.
Boosting a rare flower’s recovery
Dr Elaine King at the Chilterns National Landscape is excited about how her team plans to use the WRHF.
Dr Elaine King said:
“We’ll be working with partners to restore and enhance chalk grassland - an internationally rare, wildlife-rich habitat which has declined significantly in the post-war period. It’s home to very special plants and animals such as the Chiltern gentian, Adonis blue butterfly, Duke of Burgundy butterfly and glow worm.”
The Chiltern Gentian (Gentianella germanica), is a rare chalkland flower, with bright purple trumpet-shaped flowers. It’s the county flower of Buckinghamshire, which gives a hint at how widespread it used to be. Thanks to the WRHF, not only will the populations of these rare and precious species be given space to thrive, but it also means more people can discover their county flower and experience the magic of seeing glow worms in the wild.
A great start, with more to do
In the grand scheme of things, the WRHF is a modest pot of money. A recent report from the National Landscapes Association and the Protected Landscapes Partnership assesses that the Protected Landscapes need around £500 million investment per year - a mix of public and private money - to meet the Targets and Outcomes the Government has set us to achieve.
The WRHF pot can’t do it all. But it can help making a tangible difference over hundreds of hectares; investing time, capital and care into local networks; and growing even greater confidence in Protected Landscapes’ power to deliver high quality, efficient and strategically meaningful improvements.
We’ll be working with Defra to review the funding formula for future years, to make sure it delivers the best habitat outcomes as possible.
Watch this space
The £30 million funding – £10 million a year for 3 years- gives National Parks and National Landscapes thirty million more opportunities to show what’s possible. We demonstrate what thriving landscapes working in harmony with communities look like.
We show how the benefits flow into landscapes and lives far beyond the boundaries on the map. We declare our ambitions for landscape, nature and people – thriving, buzzing, and fit to face the future.
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