Farmers, landowners, and agricultural businesses have been invited to apply for grant funding to restore nature, reduce flood risks, and boost biodiversity.<\/p>\n
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The Landscape Recovery scheme will pay landowners who want to take a \u201clarge-scale and long-term\u201d approach to producing environmental and climate outcomes.<\/p>\n
The first round of the fund \u2013 which forms part of the Government\u2019s future farming policy – opened this week. It replaces part of the EU\u2019s Common Agricultural Policy with a system that works in the \u201cbest interests\u201d of British farmers.<\/p>\n
The cash can be used to accelerate the \u201cradical and ambitious\u201d transformation of land, such as establishing new nature reserves, restoring floodplains, or creating woodlands and wetlands.<\/p>\n
The first round is open to landowners, or a group of landowners, who can deliver large-scale projects \u2013 defined as 500 to 5,000 hectares in size.<\/p>\n
Up to 15 projects will be selected with a total project development budget of \u00a37.5 million.<\/p>\n
The Landscape Recovery scheme is one of three environmental land management schemes designed to support British agriculture.<\/p>\n
Commenting on the scheme, Environment Secretary, George Eustice, said: \u201cThe focus of our Landscape Recovery scheme will be to restore threatened species and priority habitats \u2013 helping to protect our natural environment for generations to come and boost biodiversity.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the types of projects we envisage won\u2019t be right for every farm business or farm holding, they will be right for some which is why this scheme will support a choice that some landowners may want to take, and put in place the right incentives to allow them to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n