Aims/priorities: The Landscape Recovery Scheme has been established for landowners and managers who want to take a radical and large-scale approach to producing environmental and climate goods on their land.
In 2023, the second round of projects funded by the scheme will be focused on those supporting net zero, protected sites, and wildlife-rich habitat. Additionally, all supported projects should provide extra benefits, such as:
- Improved water quality.
- Helping threatened species to recover.
- Improved soil health.
- Increasing resilience to natural hazards, e.g., flooding, drought, erosion, fire.
- Social benefits such as physical access, participation and engagement with nature.
Who can apply? All private land managers and landowners in England are eligible to apply. This includes:
- Farmers, including farm tenants.
- Foresters.
- Charities.
- Non-farming businesses and organisations.
- Collaborative groups.
Public bodies can also apply, but only in collaboration with private land managers (landowners or tenants). Public bodies include:
- Government departments.
- Non-departmental public bodies.
- Local authorities.
- National park authorities.
- Crown estate.
- Royal parks.
- Parish councils.
The following criteria apply:
- Non-government organisations, private companies, agents or other third parties can apply or run a Landscape Recovery project on behalf of other land managers.
- The person who applies (the lead applicant) does not need to be a land manager within the proposed project.
- Land managers from Natural England and the Environment Agency cannot be the lead applicant for a project, but they can be involved as long as any conflicts of interest are declared and managed.
- Land managers involved in the project will need to have management control of the land, or the consent of those with management control, for the duration of the project development and implementation agreements.
Grant amount: In Round Two of applications, Defra will offer up to 25 of the highest-scoring projects a place on the scheme, within the total project development budget available of up to £15 million.
The maximum amount of development funding applicants can apply for in this round is £750,000 per project.
Evidence from similar existing projects implies that the implementation costs for most projects in this round of Landscape Recovery will be in the range of £200 to £900 per hectare per year.
Application process: Guidance notes and the online application portal can be accessed from the GOV.UK website.
Deadline: Thursday 21 September 2023, (12:00 BST).
Contact information: Email: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk
Website: Landscape Recovery: how the schemes will work - GOV.UK