Defra Urges Landowners to Join ‘National Estate for Nature’ and Fast-Track Wildlife Restoration

In a bold push to halt the rapid decline of England’s natural environment, Environment Secretary Steve Reed convened some of the nation’s most influential landowners on Thursday, urging them to devise tangible, impactful strategies for restoring nature across their estates.

Among those present were representatives of King Charles and Prince William, alongside leading conservation groups like the National Trust, RSPB, and Wildlife Trusts. Government bodies, including the Ministry of Defence and Natural England, also took part, collectively forming a coalition dubbed the "National Estate for Nature."

These stakeholders, who control 10% of England’s land, wield immense influence over the nation’s ecological trajectory. With legally binding targets under the Environment Act, their cooperation is not just desirable—it’s essential. Reed challenged them to develop ambitious land management strategies, setting minimum environmental standards with clear milestones for nature restoration, sustainability, and biodiversity protection.

He said: “Landowners must go further and faster to restore our natural world. The National Estate for Nature, which manages a tenth of the land in this country, has a responsibility to future generations to leave the environment in a better state. We have a unique opportunity to work together on common sense changes that create a win-win for nature, the economy, and make the best use of the land around us.”

Currently, only 8% of England’s land and sea is designated as protected for nature. The government aims to raise this figure to 30% by 2030. Yet, conservation groups argue that genuinely adequate protections extend to a mere 2.93%. The situation's urgency is stark: wild bird populations are plummeting, and the 2023 State of Nature report ranks the UK as one of the most nature-depleted nations on the planet.

Determined to reverse these trends, the Labour government has taken decisive steps. Rewilding efforts have been bolstered—including the recent legalisation of wild beaver releases—and a new land use framework has been introduced to guide sustainable food production and conservation development.

This meeting marks just the beginning. Quarterly follow-ups will drive the implementation of concrete, on-the-ground strategies, ensuring that England’s most potent landowners play a leading role in reversing decades of environmental decline.

The environmental campaigner Guy Shrubsole said: “Major landowners in England like the Forestry Commission, crown estate and water companies own millions of acres of land – it’s only right that we expect them to repair the badly damaged habitats that they own.”

He argued that large landowners should make their plans to protect nature public so that they can be scrutinised and held to account: “The government must mandate these landowners to publish their plans for nature restoration, so the public can see how the land is being looked after on our behalf – and change the outdated legal duties of public bodies to prioritise restoring ecosystems and fixing the climate crisis.”

Harry Bowell, the director of land and nature at the National Trust, said: “We are delighted to join the National Estate for Nature group, bringing the National Trust’s stewardship of 250,000 hectares to the table. As the government’s land use framework makes clear, a transformation in the use of land is needed if we are to meet our nature and climate targets. The biggest landowners – us included – have the power and responsibility to drive forward that transformation.”