Share

Defra launch the long-awaited land use framework

Phragmites reedbed at Minsmere-Walberswick Heaths and Marshes Site of Special Scientific Interest in Suffolk, England. Credit: Peter Wakely, Natural England.

The much-anticipated roadmap for government land management priorities in England has been published. But does it herald good news for peatlands?

Yesterday afternoon saw the publication of England’s long awaited land use framework (LUF) The Land Use Framework for England. In this joint piece our programme policy lead Jess Fìor-Berry and the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts agricultural strategic lead Vicki Hird reflect on how England’s peatlands were represented and how it supports their conservation. 

The framework is an important step forward towards reaching our international agreements around biodiversity and net zero objectives. However overall, the LUF seems big on ambition but low on cast iron detail. At the outset it is stated that is not designed to be binding, but the embedding of the LUF into schemes such as SFI and LR would seem to make sense. There is also a welcome acknowledgement of the need to deal with problems in a cross-cutting manner rather than a siloed fashion. However, it would be helpful to have greater detail on how the government plans to make this a reality given the huge range of departments and arm’s length bodies with diverse remits. 

There is significant reference to the importance of peatlands with twenty-four mentions throughout the document, with discussion around lowland and upland peatlands. We look at what the LUF had to say:

The key headlines for peatlands

  • Crucial recognition of the role of the UK’s peatlands in contributing to water security, reducing flood risk and storing carbon.
  • In the table on the need for change to extent of land managed for different purposes “Restoration and maintenance of peat forming and peat-dependent habitats” is discussed, which suggests that greater consideration will be given to the wider mosaic. We welcome this recognition of the interconnectedness of habitats and would urge the government to publish more on their thinking around how this will work in practice.
  • There will be new guidance for internal drainage boards (IDBs) the management of which we highlighted in our LUF consultation response. However, a timeline for this is not provided and it does not appear that the government plans to bring these under greater regulatory control.
  • There is a commitment to provide £50 million in funding over the next four years to support wetter farming systems and more sustainable management of lowland peatlands. It is concerning that there are not figures attached to upland peatlands however, something we have expressed concerns over governments seeing the uplands as having been ‘fixed’.
  • The pledge to ‘explore land purchase opportunities’ in order to increase peatland restoration is interesting, but there is not sufficient detail in the framework to understand how this could work and whether this would result in the creation of national nature reserves. This would also require significant funding but there is no monetary guidance given in the LUF.
  • There was a disappointing absence of commitments around side drivers of demand including peat compost, feeds and agrofuels, which place pressure through extraction and drainage demands. 
     

Vicki attended the in-person launch event and had the following thoughts:

With our land expected to deliver a wide range of priorities in a rapidly changing climate, a clear framework for how we manage the competing demands has never been more vital. A Land Use Framework was promised in 2022, so The Wildlife Trusts are pleased to see it finally launched. It must guide how land is used and managed - for food production, development, renewable energy generation and other multiple purposes - whilst creating the vital space for nature to be restored and climate adaptations delivered especially on managing flooding. The Framework marks a positive change in Government’s willingness to deliver changes in land use at scale - vital for our nation's security in times of conflict, climate change, nature, water and resource crises.

However, the scale of the environmental challenge means that today should be a starting point for further action and ambition. The Framework should be accompanied by an increased budget for the nature friendly and climate resilient farm transition, better management of designated sites, more connection of habitats within landscapes and complementary marine strategic planning at sea. Planning for nature’s recovery is planning for our nation’s future economic security and prosperity.
Vicki Hird, Strategic Lead - Agriculture
Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts

Vicki also noted that there will be a new land use unit created at Defra, something which will hopefully support the embedding of the framework that we highlighted in the headlines. Also important is the first England spatial priority map, however the map is Defra only which seems out of step with the acknowledgement of the need to reduce siloing between departments. In terms of peat protection, it is vital that Desnz and the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government are working to ensure that planning decisions align with the priorities of the LUF.

While the LUF is an important document in helping landowners and managers understand how activities impact the land and how competing demands may be managed. It vital that the government supports the ambition with clear funding commitments and the publication of the 30 x 30 delivery plan which currently has no set timeframe and which a report from Wildlife and Countryside Link showed last year the UK is currently falling well short of. The UK’s peatlands will be a big part of delivering 30 x 30, we hope that the government follows the LUF with further guidance and funding commitments to make the ambitions a reality. 

Further reading: 

Land Use Framework: Huge potential that must be delivered | The Wildlife Trusts

Related blog posts