Farmers watch closely as public land set for nature recovery push

More than half a million hectares of government-owned land will be managed differently under new plans to boost nature recovery, climate resilience and the way England uses land.

The government has set out a new plan for its public estate, covering more than 577,000 hectares across England, representing around 4% of the country’s land area.

The plan comes as farmers and land managers face growing pressure to balance food production with woodland creation, biodiversity targets, water quality and climate adaptation.

The Government Estate Nature Plan aims to move away from fragmented, site-by-site action towards a more coordinated approach across the public estate.

Ministers say the plan will support nature recovery, climate adaptation and the resilience of key public services. It will focus on using government land more strategically, including through woodland creation, peatland restoration and other nature-based projects.

The plan is backed by more than £4m for pilot “lighthouse” projects on operational land, including defence training areas, transport corridors and prison grounds.

These schemes are intended to show how habitat restoration can support essential public services.

The government said healthy ecosystems can help reduce disruption caused by climate impacts such as water shortages and wildfires.

The plan will also apply the Land Use Framework to the government’s own estate for the first time, meaning public land will be managed to deliver benefits for nature while continuing to support core services.

The announcement comes at a sensitive time for land-use policy, with farmers warning that environmental targets must be delivered alongside domestic food production rather than at its expense.

The proposals are likely to feed into wider debate over how land is divided between farming, nature recovery, forestry, water management and infrastructure resilience.

The Government Estate Nature Plan sits alongside plans from the National Estate for Nature, a coalition of major landowners who together manage a tenth of England’s land.

Members include the National Trust, The Crown Estate, the Church Commissioners, the Duchies of Lancaster and Cornwall, and the RSPB.

Several of the coalition’s plans have direct links to farming and land management.

The Church Commissioners aim for 80% of farms to adopt nature-friendly farming practices by 2030, while United Utilities is planning to plant one million trees.

The Crown Estate’s long-term environmental Farm Business Tenancies are intended to support farmers in transitioning 15% of farmland to nature recovery. That work includes plans to plant 1,000km of new hedgerows by 2035.

The coalition’s wider plans also include wetland restoration and woodland creation by Clinton Devon Estates.

The plan has been published during London Climate Action Week and is intended to set an example for other major landowners.

Independent research suggests the government estate has the potential to generate ecosystem services worth £67bn if natural capital is maintained in good condition.

Nature Minister Mary Creagh said the government had a major opportunity to lead by example as England’s largest landowner.

She said: “As the largest landowner in the country, government has a unique opportunity to work with others to show how nature can be restored at scale while delivering essential public services.”

Ms Creagh said the plan was “the first of its kind globally” and would support progress towards the government’s goal to protect 30% of land and seas by 2030.

Rosie Hails, nature, land and evidence director at the National Trust, said the plan was a “welcome and necessary step”.

She said the nature crisis could only be tackled if everyone involved in land use played a part, including owners, managers, farmers, businesses and communities.

Ms Hails added: “Publicly owned land offers a real opportunity to show what’s possible.”

Natural England chair Tony Juniper said Defra had helped establish a group of major landowners with ambitions for nature recovery.

He said: “Individually they make big contributions, and their combined impact can be huge.”

Mr Juniper said the publication of the Government Estate Nature Plan showed that government shared that ambition.

Members of the National Estate for Nature are expected to continue working together through the government’s Land Use Framework principles and Local Nature Recovery Strategies.

The government said the approach would help deliver Environment Act targets on biodiversity, water quality and woodland cover.

It said the plan would also support the UK’s international commitment to protect 30% of land for nature by 2030.

The new approach marks a shift in how public land is used, with ministers aiming to show that nature recovery, climate resilience and public services can be delivered together.

For farmers and land managers, the bigger question is how England can restore nature without losing sight of food production, rural businesses and the practical realities of managing land.