Nature recovery

We’re helping to protect, restore and reconnect people with nature across land, cities and sea. 

Nature supports our health, livelihoods and climate resilience, but it is under increasing pressure from habitat loss, species decline, stressed water systems and growing demand for land and sea. As a significant manager of land, coastline and seabed across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, we can help respond to these pressures while continuing to support the needs of people, places and the economy. 

Aligned with domestic and global goals, our Nature Recovery Ambition supports efforts to halt nature’s decline by 2030 and contribute to nature’s recovery by 2050. 

Launched in 2025, it sets out how we will take joined-up action to restore nature across land and sea, creating lasting benefits for people, climate and the environment. Our ambition focuses on three connected goals: increasing biodiversity across our land and marine holdings; restoring freshwater, marine and coastal systems; and helping people reconnect with nature in ways that support health, wellbeing and stronger communities. 

Delivering this ambition means taking sustained action, using better evidence, investing in the right places and working in partnership. It also means building nature into decisions from the start, so that how we plan, manage and use land, water and seabed helps nature recover rather than adding to the pressures it faces. 

Our impact 

We are putting the ambition into practice by strengthening our evidence base, investing in restoration, and working with partners across land and sea. 

This includes embedding nature into marine planning, supporting habitat restoration and environmental farm tenancy agreements, restoring freshwater, marine and coastal systems, and helping people connect with nature through education, access and engagement. 

Unlocking a Resilient Blue Future

Through our marine work, including Unlocking a Resilient Blue Future, we are taking an integrated, long-term view of how the seabed and coastline are managed - balancing growing demands from energy and infrastructure with the urgent need to restore nature. By treating nature as a priority and planning across sectors using shared data and evidence, we are helping to unlock space for habitats to recover, protect vulnerable ecosystems and support a thriving, resilient marine environment that underpins sustainable economic growth. 

You can read more in our report, Unlocking a Resilient Blue Future.