The Land Restoration Trust

The Land Restoration Trust
Name	The Land Restoration Trust
Formation	2003
Type	Nonprofit charity
Headquarters	Oxfordshire, England
Region served	United Kingdom, Europe, Africa
Leader title	Chair
Leader name	Dr Simon Harrington

The Land Restoration Trust is a charitable organization focused on restoring degraded landscapes, conserving biodiversity, and promoting sustainable land management across the United Kingdom, Europe, and parts of Africa. Founded by conservationists and philanthropists, the Trust pursues habitat restoration, rewilding, peatland recovery, and agroecological transition through land acquisition, stewardship, and community engagement. Its work connects restoration science with policy advocacy, education, and market-based mechanisms for ecosystem services.

History

The Trust was established in 2003 by a coalition including Sir David Attenborough, Baroness Young, Sir Martin Laing, and investors from the Eden Project and the RSPB to acquire and restore fragmented holdings in the Chilterns, Somerset Levels, and Scottish Highlands. Early campaigns drew on partnerships with the National Trust, Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage, and the Environment Agency to secure degraded peatlands, former military ranges, and post-industrial sites near the Somerset Levels and Fens. In the 2010s the Trust expanded into international work with the World Wide Fund for Nature, BirdLife International, the United Nations Environment Programme, and the IUCN to pilot peatland restoration in the Carpathians and savanna restoration in the Sahel alongside the African Development Bank and the Green Climate Fund. High-profile advisors have included academics from Oxford University, Cambridge University, Imperial College London, and the London School of Economics, while trustees have overlapped with figures from the British Trust for Ornithology, Plantlife, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Mission and Objectives

The Trust’s mission aligns with targets from the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Ramsar Convention, the Paris Agreement, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals to reverse land degradation and restore ecosystem functioning. Core objectives emphasize rewilding degraded moorland, restoring peatlands to sequester carbon for climate mitigation, enhancing connectivity for species such as otter and beaver, and promoting regenerative farming with Farmers Weekly and the Soil Association. Objectives also include policy engagement with DEFRA, the European Commission, the UK Parliament’s Environment Audit Committee, and the Scottish Government to influence land-use frameworks and agri-environment schemes. Educational aims partner with the Royal Society, the British Ecological Society, and the Natural History Museum to build capacity for restoration ecology.

Projects and Initiatives

Flagship projects span the Somerset Levels peatland recovery, the Northumberland coastal dune restoration, and rewilding in the Flow Country with support from the National Trust and Forestry Commission. Initiatives include the Peatland Carbon Project, the River Catchment Reconnection Scheme in partnership with the Canal & River Trust and the Environment Agency, and the Pollinator Meadows Network with Plantlife and the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. International pilots include savanna restoration with the Sahel Alliance, mangrove rehabilitation with Conservation International, and community forestry with the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility. The Trust runs an apprenticeship scheme with the Royal Horticultural Society and vocational programmes with City & Guilds and the Prince’s Trust.

Governance and Funding

Governance is overseen by a board of trustees drawn from the National Trust, RSPB, Wildlife Trusts, and academia, with advisory input from the Zoological Society of London and the Royal Society. Funding sources combine philanthropic donations from benefactors linked to the Wellcome Trust and Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund, contract income from DEFRA agri-environment agreements, corporate partnerships with Marks & Spencer and WWF-UK, and payments for ecosystem services mediated through the Woodland Carbon Code and Peatland Code. Financial oversight involves auditors and compliance with the Charity Commission and Companies House reporting standards.

Partnerships and Collaborations

The Trust collaborates with a wide array of partners, including the National Farmers Union, RSPB, World Wide Fund for Nature, BirdLife International, Natural England, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Environment Agency, the Forestry Commission, and NGOs such as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace on advocacy and restoration campaigns. Academic collaborations include Oxford University, Cambridge University, Imperial College London, University of Edinburgh, and Cranfield University for monitoring, modelling, and evidence synthesis. It engages with multilateral bodies like the United Nations Environment Programme, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Green Climate Fund for scaled financing, and with local authorities such as Cornwall Council and Somerset County Council for place-based projects.

Impact and Outcomes

Reported outcomes feature restored hectares of peatland contributing to verified carbon credits under the Peatland Code, increased breeding populations of ground-nesting birds monitored by the British Trust for Ornithology, improved water quality outcomes tracked by the Environment Agency, and expanded public access trails in collaboration with the National Trust and Canal & River Trust. Economic impacts include farm-income diversification through agroforestry demonstrated with the Soil Association and increased ecotourism near Nature Reserves managed with the Wildlife Trusts. Peer-reviewed studies with the British Ecological Society and articles in journals associated with the Royal Society document biodiversity gains and carbon sequestration metrics.

Criticism and Controversies

Critics from some farming unions and private landowners, including statements in Farmers Weekly and the Country Land and Business Association, have challenged land acquisition tactics and perceived top-down rewilding approaches. Environmental NGOs such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth have debated priorities over peatland versus woodland restoration and the Trust’s corporate partnerships with retailers like Marks & Spencer. Academic critiques published via Oxford University and Cambridge University affiliates question some monitoring methodologies and the permanence of carbon credits linked to restored peat. Legal disputes have arisen with local councils over planning consents and with developers during site acquisitions, prompting reviews by the Charity Commission and parliamentary scrutiny in Environment Audit Committee hearings.

Category:Charities based in Oxfordshire Category:Environmental organizations established in 2003 Category:Conservation in the United Kingdom