National Trust brings nature back to an area twice the size of Manchester in less than a decade - National Trust

The National Trust has achieved its aim of creating or restoring 25,000 hectares (61,776 acres) of priority habitat (habitats of principal importance for wildlife and supporting ecosystems) on its land by 2025, a target set in line with the charity’s conservation goals announced in 2015.

This focused conservation work has included creating or restoring habitats such as peatlands, meadows, wetlands, woodlands and saltmarsh, complementing the work on the conservation charity’s nationally important protected sites that already account for 40 per cent of the Trust’s 250,000 hectare (1,000 square mile) landholding.

Looking after these habitats and ensuring their health is of vital importance for helping tackle the nature and climate crises, including halting the decline of species by making more space for nature as well as adapting landscapes to deal with worsening climate impacts.

Ben McCarthy, Head of Nature and Restoration Ecology at the National Trust says: “Our focus on restoring our most important habitats to help our precious wildlife is not only contributing towards national conservation targets but is also a critical response to the challenge of climate change. Our approach uses nature-based solutions to both the nature and climate emergencies with a focus on restoring carbon rich habitats such as peatlands and improving or creating new woodlands as well as adaptive approaches to managing the landscapes we work in, including restoring rivers. Much of the work carried out by our countryside and ranger teams on the ground has focused on expanding our existing habitats to buffer them from external pressures as well as creating better and bigger areas of habitat. Combined with our work to create new homes for nature, this approach makes our landscapes more connected for wildlife, allowing species to move more easily across the landscape.”