Land and nature

We will improve the state of nature in the UK.

We are helping landscapes adapt to climate change for the benefit of people and nature. As we work towards our ambition to be carbon net zero by 2030, we are focused on improving and increasing vital wildlife habitats and harnessing the power of nature to deliver natural solutions to the effects of climate change.

Harry Bowell, Director of Land and Nature

Our performance

The UK is one of the world’s most nature-depleted places. We look after almost 250,000 hectares (617,775 acres) of land with 42% designated as nationally important for nature. We are playing our part in bringing nature back to life through four KPIs:

1. We are aiming for 50% of the designated wildlife sites that we look after to be in good ecological condition by 2025. We last reported on progress in 2019–20 when we stated that 42% of sites qualified. This KPI is on hold whilst we transition from CPI to the Conservation Management Review process (see our performance).

2. We aim to create and restore 25,000 hectares (61,777 acres) of new wildlife habitats by 2025. By the end of 2022, we had created close to 17,000 hectares (42,008 acres), putting us well on the way to reaching our target.

3. Our goal is for 50% of our land to be nature-friendly by 2025. This will be measured using a Land Condition Assessment. We know that at least 40.3% of land has met the criteria, an increase from 38.3% in 2020–21.

Prior to the pandemic this figure remained relatively static. However, since then, a lot has changed. We have worked with farm tenants to increase nature-friendly farming projects and improve the condition of habitats. We are confident that we have exceeded the figure above, taking us closer to our target.

4. Maintaining healthy soils, water and wildlife will mean that by 2025 all land reaches a basic minimum standard.

Areas of non-compliance fell from 64 in 2020–21 to 56 in 2022–23. We have learnt that new areas of non-compliance will emerge over time. This means that we are unlikely to achieve this particular target. However, we will continue to improve infrastructure and management practices to keep areas of non-compliance to a minimum.

confident that we have exceeded the figure above, taking us closer to our target.

4. Maintaining healthy soils, water and wildlife will mean that by 2025 all land reaches a basic minimum standard.
Areas of non-compliance fell from 64 in 2020–21 to 56 in 2022–23. We have learnt that new areas of non-compliance will emerge over time. This means that we are unlikely to achieve this particular target. However, we will continue to improve infrastructure and management practices to keep areas of non-compliance to a minimum.

A note on this year’s results

The pandemic delayed us in achieving these targets and not all results have yet been recorded. We believe that we are further ahead with our ambitions than suggested above but this will be clarified in next year’s report.

Our promise to plant trees and

create woodland

Trees are one of nature’s most powerful solutions to the climate crisis, which is why we are aiming to establish 20 million by 2030.

Establishing new woodland is a key part of our efforts to achieve carbon net zero across our own emissions and those created by our supply chain, tenanted land and buildings and investments.

We made a positive start with this ambition by:

planting more than 1 million trees since 2020
developing a methodology for calculating regeneration
establishing partnerships
consulting tree and woodland advisors to ensure we maximise the benefits of tree planting.

We recognise that our target seems a long way off, but this is in line with our forecast which predicted that two-thirds of the programme would be completed from 2026 to 2030. This is due to the lead in time it takes to navigate the internal and external regulatory processes that will ensure that our woodland creation schemes deliver maximum benefit for people, climate and nature.

How we are preserving the land we

look after

Wild blanket bogs
Wild blanket bogs, covering large areas of the UK, support a variety of wildlife and contain peatland that locks up carbon. Although many of these landscapes are now designated, farming, forestry and large-scale peat extraction have taken their toll and many of the bogs have been damaged or lost altogether.³

We are restoring more than 9,000 hectares (12,240 acres) of peatlands and working to improve the condition of a further 4,000 hectares (9,884 acres) through a £7 million restoration programme.

3 Designated is a special status given to protected areas because of their natural and cultural importance.

Malham Tarn, Yorkshire

Malham Tarn is designated as a wetland of international importance and home to rare plants and wildlife. We have carried out surveys to find out how we can make the landscape more resilient to climate change.

Ditches have been blocked on the peatlands to retain water and reduce the impact of hotter summers. Exmoor ponies and Belted Galloway cattle, suitable for conservation grazing, have been introduced. They help us maintain wetland habitats and support limestone grasslands, which attract the dark green fritillary butterfly and encourage the growth of bird’s-eye primrose.

These measures will reduce carbon emissions, assist wildlife and make the land more resilient to wildfires.

Temperate rainforests
Temperate rainforests are found in places shaped and influenced by the ocean. These rare habitats have high rainfall and humidity and a low annual variation of temperature allowing them to support a variety of plants, lichens, fungi, birds and mammals. But they are under threat from invasive species, tree diseases such as ash dieback, grazing animals and human activity. 

Most of the temperate rainforests in England and Wales are on land we care for so we can play a key role in protecting them. They can be found in Borrowdale, Lake District, Dolaucothi, Carmarthenshire and Horner Woods on Exmoor. 

We have formed a Rainforest network with national organisations and local alliances to enable us to work more innovatively and efficiently. Together we want to ensure that these important habitats can recover and expand across the UK.  

National Reserves Festival
We supported and promoted the first national festival celebrating National Nature Reserves (NNRs) in England. We engaged new communities with a programme of events including everything from forest yoga to nature surveys.

Promoting nature-friendly farming
We relaunched our Land Matters newsletter for the 1,850 tenant farmers who work with us. Land Matters provides industry news and showcases how farmers use pioneering nature-friendly farming methods.

In the first new issue, published in autumn 2022, we highlighted the work of farmer Holly Purdey, a tenant at Horner Farm near Porlock in Somerset. Holly uses a sustainable faming model that encourages biodiversity and helps the local community to deliver a circular economy, which is better for the environment. The farm also hosts seasonal food events, educational trips for children and talks on regenerative farming.

We farm with our environment as opposed to changing our environment for our farming system. We believe in an integrated approach where production is not removed but run in harmony with our natural world. We are recovering land that for years had been under intensive management with high inputs. We listen to our animals, grasslands and soils to make informed choices.

Holly Purdey, Tenant Farmer

Changing Chalk partnership

The Sussex Downs and towns have a rich shared heritage. Now, both are facing unprecedented environmental and economic challenges.

More than 80% of rare chalk grassland has been lost.
12% of archaeological sites are under threat.
55% of schools in the area are attended by pupils living in socio-economic deprivation.

Changing Chalk is a partnership, led by us, that is working towards a sustainable future for the eastern South Downs. The project works across 18 interconnected projects to address the challenges the area faces.

1. Restoring chalkland to
support biodiversity
Chalk grassland supports a rich and diverse range of plants. More than 800 hectares (1,977 acres) of land will be managed to benefit nature.

We have already planted 50 hectares (148 acres) of flower-rich grassland to help with this.

2. Connecting downs and towns
We are planning therapeutic activities to raise awareness of chalkland and its important role in preserving nature.

3. Hearts and histories of the Sussex Downs
Seasonal programmes, small grants and writing workshops will creatively engage people with their connection to the Downs.

Policy and advocacy

Changes in Government leadership, political uncertainty in Northern Ireland and a packed policy agenda resulted in a busy year of advocacy and engagement.

Standing up for nature, beauty and history
We opposed proposals from the Autumn Growth Plan that would have weakened safeguards for nature, beauty and history, calling instead for green growth that will protect the natural and historic environment.

With Greener UK and other partners, we sought changes to the Retained EU Law Bill, which threatened vital legislation protecting the environment. In Northern Ireland we engaged with MPs, MLAs and ministers on the devolved implications of these reforms.

We joined the Better Planning Coalition to respond to planning reforms in England, including the Levelling Up and Planning Bill, and responded to consultations on planning policy and protected landscapes.

In Wales, we engaged on the Historic Environment (Wales) Bill, provided evidence for the Welsh Affairs Committee’s inquiry ‘Wales as a Global Tourist Destination’ and contributed to the National Framework for Social Prescribing.

In Northern Ireland, we contributed to a draft biodiversity strategy.

The People’s Plan for Nature
The National Trust, RSPB and WWF worked in partnership to commission the first UK-wide citizens’ assembly for nature.

The assembly of citizens from across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland developed the People’s Plan for Nature, which recommended actions for every part of society. This included proposals to create a permanent assembly for nature, the overhaul of farming subsidies, improvements for protecting water resources and our marine environment, better use of conservation evidence and for nature to be considered in all business and government decisions.

Engagement with politicians
We engaged with ministers, MPs and members of the devolved Assemblies by:

hosting visits to share insights from our work in caring for heritage and nature and the successes from projects supported by the Government’s Cultural Recovery Fund, the Green Recovery Challenge Fund and the DAERA Environment Fund in Northern Ireland;
meeting with officers of the All Party Parliamentary group on the National Trust;
launching #BlossomWatch and #GwleddYGwanwyn campaign at the Senedd and Westminster; and
hosting an event in Parliament to mark Sir Winston Churchill’s birthday.

Promoting nature-friendly farming
We submitted evidence to inquiries and consultations on topics such as food security, soil health and land use. We also contributed to the Rock Review on tenant farming.

We worked with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and other partners on the Environment Land Management Scheme in England.

In Wales, we contributed to the Agriculture Bill and the Welsh Government’s Sustainable Farming Scheme. We also championed nature-friendly farming with our tenant farmers at the Royal Welsh Show.

In Northern Ireland, we promoted nature-friendly farming outcomes in agriculture policy development, including at the Balmoral Show in Lisburn.

We attended the Conservative and Labour party conferences, supporting events for nature-friendly farming, and joined with farming and nature conservation partners, supporting the ‘Food and Farming Consensus’ – a shared vision for farming hand-in-hand with nature.

Inspiring action on climate change
We worked with the International National Trusts Organisation (INTO) at COP27 on events on heritage and climate adaptation.

Through the Fit for the Future Network, we facilitated knowledge-sharing with partners outside the National Trust. This included the event ‘Climate Change and Adaptation Guidance’.

In Wales, we responded to the ‘Draft Strategy for Engaging the General Public in Action on Climate Change’ and the ‘National Transport Delivery Plan for Wales’.

In Northern Ireland, we worked with the Department for Communities on climate adaptation plans.

We also supported creative partnerships to inspire positive climate action. These included:

partnering with Literature Wales on ‘Lyrical Landscapes’, inspiring young people to think about climate through nature, poetry and the outdoors;
joining with the Welsh Government’s project ‘My Tree, Our Forest’; and
co-ordinating the parliamentary Climate Solutions Fair on behalf of The Climate Coalition (TCC) and sharing examples of practical climate action.