Marian Spain - from first conversations to Landscape Recovery: a career in the field

By Marian Spain, CEO of Natural England

In this blog, Marian Spain reflects on Landscape Recovery, the ambitious agri-environment scheme uniting farmers, NGOs and investors across whole landscapes for 20-year commitments. Highlighting projects like Upper Duddon, Boothby and Evenlode, Marian shows how nature restoration and farm resilience combine to deliver food security, climate benefits and thriving rural communities.

I started my career on the very first agri-environment schemes, working with farmers in East Anglia to agree the small, practical changes that could bring nature back to their land. I spent years having those conversations, and what struck me most was how many farmers wanted to see more wildlife on their land. That is still important to many farmers, but I am also increasingly struck by how many farmers now see nature as a vital part of their business. Better soil health, more pollinators, shade from trees, more water and wetlands all help make farms more resilient and so contribute to food security, and the security of individual businesses.

The importance of that connection between farming and nature has never left me. It's why, as I look back over my career, I feel such pride that it now includes the development of the most ambitious agri-environment scheme we've ever attempted: Landscape Recovery.

Landscape Recovery is built on a simple idea: that nature and farm resilience are two sides of the same coin. It asks farmers, landowners and their partners to think bigger, working across whole landscapes rather than single fields, and to commit for the long term, for 20 years or more, so that changes can take root across a generation rather than a single business cycle. It also asks projects to bring in private finance alongside public funding, and to build real partnerships with the communities who live and work in these landscapes. In doing so, it answers a call made over a decade ago by Sir John Lawton for habitats that are bigger, better, and more joined up.

None of this happens through one organisation alone. Landscape Recovery is a genuinely joint endeavour, delivered with Defra, the Environment Agency and the Forestry Commission and of course with all of the partners  - farmers, local authorities, environmental NGOs, National Parks and National Landscapes - involved in the projects, and I want to thank everyone who has helped shape this scheme from the ground up.

Real progress, on the ground takes time – but the outcomes for the nation are huge

I know that Landscape Recovery can sometimes seem slow to develop – from initial ideas to things happening on the ground takes 2-3 years.  Developing a project of this scale, across multiple landholdings, with farmers, tenants, environmental organisations and private investors all working towards a shared plan, does takes time. And a lot of hard work from all involved. It has to. We're asking projects to build something robust enough to last two decades and deliver genuine value for public money, and that means getting the foundations right before work starts.

Results are coming through

Since the first round opened in 2022, 56 projects have come through our two pilot rounds developing proposals across more than 250,000 ha.  This has involved over 1,000 farmers and land managers who have taken part in developing this scheme alongside environmental NGOs, academics and private finance partners. Three projects are now delivering for nature across c6,700ha, and more will be underway before the year is out, which together could mean a total of more than 20,000 ha in delivery contributing to nature recovery, climate resilience and farm sustainability.

One of those is the Upper Duddon Landscape Recovery Project in South-West Cumbria which began delivery in July 2025 across roughly 2,800 hectares of upland farming country. Led by the University of Leeds, it brings tenant farmers, landowners and environmental partners together to protect fell farming traditions while restoring the River Duddon and its tributaries, improving water quality, reducing flood risk downstream, and creating jobs and volunteering opportunities for the local community.

I recently had the pleasure of celebrating this milestone with the Duddon team, and I heard two things from the farmers I met:

“The valley is coming back to life” - more jobs, more people, more activity, more nature; and “the scheme gives us a future” - the certainty of 20 years income means farmers and their successors can be confident to keep investing in their business and their family’s livelihoods.  That, for me, captures exactly what this scheme is about.

Marian Spain and Tony Juniper at the river Duddon as part of restoration works. Credit: Josh Snape/Natural England.

Alongside Duddon, the Boothby Landscape Recovery Project is an ambitious nature recovery and river restoration project in Lincolnshire, led by Nattergal covering over 600 hectares of land.  The project combines public and private investment to deliver long-term biodiversity recovery, carbon storage and flood resilience and is now well into implementation, signing its agreement in June 2025.

The Evenlode Landscape Recovery Project, is a farmer-led landscape restoration initiative across the Evenlode catchment in the Cotswolds, aiming to improve river health, biodiversity, flood resilience and sustainable farming across more than 3,000 hectares. It is led by the North East Cotswold Farmer Cluster CIC (NECFC) and involves over 50 farmers and land managers working collaboratively to deliver long-term environmental recovery.  I'm delighted to see it progressing alongside our other pioneering projects.

What we're learning from Landscape Recovery

For farmers considering their own path, the principles behind LR translate directly into farm-level benefits: restoring native habitats brings back pollinators and natural pest control, healthier soils support better yields, and re-meandering rivers or restoring wetlands can keep nutrients on your land and reduce flood risk. Entering an LR project also means working with your neighbours, with a local project manager to manage the scheme on behalf of everybody (and help with the paperwork!)  and with people who understand your local landscape and who tailor the project to it. You will also be contributing for the nation to ensure food security, climate resilience and more nature for everybody’s wellbeing.

Thank you to all our partners

As Chief Executive, I have the responsibility of signing off each LR grant agreement, and I don't take that lightly. Every signature represents years of work by landowners, tenants, communities and partners to agree a shared vision and proof it can deliver.

To everyone who took part in rounds one and two, the farmers and tenant farmers, environmental NGOs, academics, private finance partners and more, thank you.

Your patience and ambition are spearheading and building something genuinely new for the benefit of your land and communities.

Let's continue to drive this ambition forward.

Find out more:

Find out more about Landscape Recovery and its ongoing projects by searching "Landscape Recovery" on the Defra Farming Blog. 

View Landscape Recovery project video highlighting benefits to well-being: Boothby volunteer video: Volunteering for Wellbeing | Fin's story

https://naturalengland.blog.gov.uk/2026/09/28/marian-spain-from-first-conversations-to-landscape-recovery-a-career-in-the-field/

seen at 14:37, 28 September in Natural England.