9 September 2026
New research commissioned by Wildlife and Countryside Link reveals that annual investment in protected nature sites needs to increase from around £1.1 billion today to approximately £2 billion to restore England’s protected places by 2042, the deadline for key Environment Act nature targets. This investment would also help deliver 30by30 – the commitment to protect and effectively manage 30% of England’s land and sea for nature by 2030.
England’s protected places, such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest, National Landscapes, and National Parks, have the potential to be the crown jewels of a thriving landscape – places where wildlife flourishes and people can experience nature at its best. But decades of underinvestment, pollution and intensive industry have left too many habitats damaged and wildlife disappearing. With the right protection and investment, these places could once again become the thriving heart of nature's recovery across England and help keep our country safe from climate risks.
The research estimates that delivering 30by30 on land could create or restore at least one million hectares of wildlife-rich habitat – helping to build a bigger, better-connected network where nature can flourish.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, more than 50 leading nature charities say the tide must now turn from destruction to recovery. They emphasise that restoring nature is essential for public health, economic resilience, and national security, as well as for the future of wildlife. Government must stop damaging activities in protected places, invest in their recovery, and unlock the public and private finance needed to meet 30by30.
The charities say increased investment could partly be achieved by making better use of existing funding – for example, by accelerating and expanding Landscape Recovery and Countryside Stewardship agricultural payments – alongside government action to boost private-sector investment.
Recent polling also shows overwhelming public backing for action. 82% of people say protecting nature and wildlife is personally important to them, while 85% agree that parts of the UK should be set aside purely for nature’s recovery. When asked about priorities for tackling nature loss, 85% said protecting Britain’s traditional wildlife and landscapes was important. Yet 66% think politicians are doing less than their fair share to protect nature in the UK.
Richard Benwell, CEO of Wildlife and Countryside Link, said:
“Nature's decline is putting us in danger, costing money, and failing wildlife. Fixing these protected places is the first vital step to turn things around. Investing £2 billion a year in England’s protected places is the vital first step towards recovery, helping to make our wildlife and natural landscapes wonders of the world and turning the 30by30 commitment into reality.
“Healthy woodlands, wetlands, peatlands and grasslands are vital infrastructure, helping to protect Britain from floods, fires and crop failures. Just as we expect the Government to look after roads and energy infrastructure, it must also prioritise the natural systems our country depends on.”
The call comes as more than 1,200 people, alongside politicians from across the political spectrum, gather in Bristol for the Wild Summit, united by an ambition to bring nature back and put thriving landscapes and wildlife at the heart of the country's future.
Read the report here: Estimating the financial resources needed for SSSIs and 30 by 30 in England | Wildlife and Countryside Link
Dr Rose O’Neill, CEO of Campaign for National Parks, said: “Covering 10% of land in England, National Park are home to some of our rarest and most iconic species as well as the last fragments of precious habitats. Major rivers start and end in our Parks providing the water we drink, vast woodlands, peatlands and saltmarshes provide the air we breathe. We all rely on the nature in our National Parks but without significant investment they face a future of further damage and degradation. We've seen the need for rewetted peatlands to combat wildfires, we know we must stop polluting our waterways - there's too much at stake that we can't afford not to invest in protected places.”
Rebecca Wrigley, Chief Executive and Co-founder of Rewilding Britain, said: "£2 billion a year is the bill for decades of neglect. We cannot restore or rewild where we fail to protect nature from ongoing harm, and England won’t meet its 30by30 nature recovery target while the places meant to be safeguarded remain damaged and degraded.“When we stop the damage and invest in nature’s full recovery, the return is enormous. Restoring land and seas at scale delivers a ‘buy one, get five free’ offer: cleaner water, more carbon stored, greater protection from floods, better health and new jobs, and improved food resilience. The UK Government must now match its targets prioritising rapid nature recovery alongside proper investment and a fair deal for local communities in these areas, giving nature the space to recover at the scale wildlife and communities need."
Clare Brook, CEO of Blue Marine Foundation, said: “The UK has designated 38% of its waters as Marine Protected Areas, yet only a fraction of assessed sites are genuinely on track to meet their conservation objectives. We continue to permit destructive activities such as bottom trawling in many protected areas, while maintaining subsidies that reward environmental damage rather than recovery.“Evidence from stronger protections in offshore MPAs suggests net benefits of £2.6-£3.5 billion over twenty years, with returns outweighing costs within just a few years. Yet as long as protection exists largely on paper, much of that value will remain unrealised.“The question is not whether we can afford to invest in effective marine protection, but why we continue to leave billions of pounds of economic, social and environmental benefits untapped.”
ENDS
Polling info:
Fieldwork dates: 7th - 10th August 2026
Sample size: 2,006
Population effectively represented: GB adults (excluding Northern Ireland)
Sample detail: Respondents have been weighted according to age/sex interlocked, region, 2024 General Election vote, ethnicity, and education level.
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