Why it matters that England has a Land Use Framework - and why rewilding should be at its heart

As Defra prepares to launch a consultation on its draft Land Use Framework for England, the country faces a pivotal moment. With the challenges posed by climate change, biodiversity loss, and demands for food security, growth and increasing our nation’s housing supply, the new Framework must not only be strategic and spatial, but embrace a bold and holistic vision for the future. 

At the heart of the government’s land use vision should be the ambitious goal of 30% rewilding of our land, rivers and seas – an essential step toward reversing ecological decline and ensuring a sustainable balance between human activity and nature.

We must be radical in our approach and solutions, including ensuring the Framework is community-focused and driven, supporting in its delivery a much-needed just green transition that includes rapidly expanding nature-based jobs, skills and businesses.

A strategic and spatial approach to land use

England’s Land Use Framework is not just a set of policies; it’s an opportunity to rethink how the country best makes use of its precious land. The framework must adopt a strategic approach, one that considers long-term sustainability, climate resilience and the restoration of nature. By its very nature, it must not be fragmented or stand alone, but rather needs to integrate policies and delivery solutions across government departments, including areas such as major infrastructure projects, housing, transport, farming, energy and nature recovery. 

This will in turn ensure that each decision made aligns with broader national goals and commitments, for instance delivering 30by30 (protecting 30% of our land and seas for nature recovery by 2030) and improving species abundance by at least 10% by 2042. The integration must also be across habitats, with the Land Use Framework merging coherently with the Marine National Plans to ensure a truly holistic approach, from source to sea.

Equally important is the need for a spatial approach, where land use decisions are made in the context of specific local environments, not least by and for the communities that will be most impacted by them. This means taking into account regional differences, for instance in soil quality, biodiversity, ecosystems and local cultural variances. Protected landscapes and areas identified as being of high nature recovery value should be prioritised for protection and restoration, while more urbanised areas might focus on delivering green infrastructure solutions such as green roofs, rain gardens, green walls, sustainable urban drainage systems etc.

The challenge lies in understanding and positively responding to the needs of diverse stakeholders, while increasing the overall benefits the land provides to the wider population as a whole. Many need to be heard and see their views accounted for, including farmers, developers, environmentalists and most of all communities. A spatially aware Framework should provide clarity on how different land uses can coexist and be mutually beneficial. By integrating local knowledge and respecting the landscapes that define various regions, the Land Use Framework can foster a more inclusive, equitable approach to land management.

Rewilding: A bold and necessary step

At the core of any forward-thinking Land Use Framework should be the recognition that restoring nature is not a luxury – it’s a necessity. One of the most ambitious proposals that needs to be incorporated is the rewilding of 30% of England’s land. Rewilding is the process of allowing ecosystems to recover and regenerate by restoring natural processes, such as more natural grazing by large herbivores, predator-prey dynamics and the regeneration of degraded habitats, at scale.

30% rewilding offers multiple benefits…

1. First, it would help reverse the alarming loss of biodiversity. England has lost 19% of its biodiversity since the 1970s, and urgent action is needed to address this crisis [1]. Rewilding can help rebuild wildlife populations, improve soil health and restore water cycles, all of which contribute to the resilience of the wider environment.
    
2. Second, rewilding offers a powerful solution to the climate crisis. Natural habitats such as woodlands, wetlands and peatlands are carbon sinks, absorbing vast amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere. By reintroducing nature-based solutions on a large scale, we can significantly reduce the country’s carbon footprint, while also reducing flooding and increasing drought resilience.
    
3. Thirdly it provides jobs and volunteering opportunities for local communities, often in areas that need them the most, like coastal and rural locations. Our data shows a more than 100% increase in local jobs on rewilding sites across Britain compared with their previous land use [2].

A holistic vision for the future

The Land Use Framework must adopt a holistic vision – one that recognises the interconnectedness of land, people and nature. This means thinking beyond basic land-use identification and embracing a wider view of how land can serve multiple purposes: from food production and housing to recreation and nature recovery. Many rewilding sites do this, an example being Wild Ken Hill, in Norfolk, where they’re balancing regenerative farming and nature recovery (rewilding and traditional conservation), alongside guided tours, workshops and other eco-tourism opportunities.

To make this vision a reality, there can be no half measures and the UK Government must be fully committed and resilient to challenge. Farmers and landowners, for example, must be incentivised and supported to work together on the delivery of landscape-scale solutions, with a good start being to ensure the Environmental Land Management scheme budget is split into thirds, so that the Landscape Recovery tier receives its fair share of the pot, something originally envisioned by Defra [3].

A holistic vision also means an interconnected one across our land and seas. The Framework must take into consideration the interaction between ecosystems and the impacts that terrestrial activities, such as farming, can have on coastal and marine habitats. An effective Land Use Framework will thus need to integrate with ongoing marine planning processes, and it’s critical that it engages with the Marine Spatial Prioritisation Programme in England for consistency across sectors and ecosystems.

The Land Use Framework must be more than just a set of guidelines. It has to be a bold and transformative plan, with very specific and impactful policy changes and funding reallocation that puts England on the path to a resilient, sustainable and nature-rich future. Rewilding 30% of the land and sea is just one piece of this puzzle, but it can be the key to unlocking a future where both people and nature thrive together.