London (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Landowners in the UK have settled more than £9bn of taxpayers’ money in the past 30 years for environmental usefulness, despite the drop in nature that has taken place during that time, data shows.
The nature campaigner and writer Guy Shrubsole, who mined the data for his new book, The Lie of The Land, expressed large landowners should be forced to issue regular reports showing how they are stewarding their land for nature and carbon. This “ecological Domesday survey” would ensure that landowners are using the public money they are provided to improve nature, rather than simply becoming wealthy by dint of owning more than 1,000 acres of land.
What responsibilities do large landowners have for nature and biodiversity?
Shrubsole claims that those who own these vast amounts of land should be held responsible for the nature and biodiversity concerns and that estates of more than 1,000 acres should issue five-yearly reports on what they are doing to restore habitats, help wildlife recover and boost natural carbon sinks.
How has the health of nature in England changed despite funding?
Landowners and farmers in England were granted £9.2bn in environmental stewardship grants between 1992 and 2022, comparable to £12.5bn when adjusted for inflation. Despite this, nature’s health has plunged in England, and only 39% of England’s sites of special scientific interest are in good condition, while farmland bird numbers have split since 1970. These stewardship projects include action to enhance soil health, protect water from pollution, increase wildlife numbers, manage floods and provide public access to land.
What is the proposed “ecological Domesday survey” for landowners?
Shrubsole stated: “For decades, the public has spent billions of pounds to landowners to be good stewards of nature. In some circumstances it’s worked – but too often, landowners have failed to deliver, vacating habitats and wildlife in near-terminal decline.
“The definition of stewardship implies looking after the land on behalf of someone else – us, the public. So, tell us what you’re accomplishing to be a good steward. Let’s carry out an ecological Domesday survey: if you’re fortunate enough to own 1,000 acres or more, you should post a map of your estate, a baseline ecological survey and a strategy for how you’ll be restoring habitats, species and carbon over the next five years. It’s time we created the 1% of the population who own half of England – and who often reason to be ‘custodians of the countryside’ – accountable to the public.”