Landowners in England have been paid more than £9bn of taxpayers’ money in the past 30 years for environmental benefits, despite the decline in nature that has taken place during that time, data reveals.
The nature campaigner and author Guy Shrubsole, who unearthed the data for his new book, The Lie of The Land, said large landowners should be forced to publish 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 given to improve nature, rather than simply becoming rich by dint of owning more than 1,000 acres of land.
Shrubsole argues that those who own these vast amounts of land should be held accountable over the nature and biodiversity crises and that estates of more than 1,000 acres should publish five-yearly reports on what they are doing to restore habitats, help wildlife recover and boost natural carbon sinks.
Landowners and farmers in England were given £9.2bn in environmental stewardship grants between 1992 and 2022, equivalent to £12.5bn when adjusted for inflation. Despite this, nature’s health has plummeted in England, and only 39% of England’s sites of special scientific interest are in favourable condition, while farmland bird numbers have halved since 1970.
These stewardship schemes include action to improve soil health, protect water from pollution, boost wildlife numbers, manage floods and provide public access to land.
Shrubsole said: “For decades, the public has paid billions of pounds to landowners to be good stewards of nature. In some cases it’s worked – but too often, landowners have failed to deliver, leaving habitats and wildlife in near-terminal decline.
“The definition of stewardship means looking after the land on behalf of someone else – us, the public. So, tell us what you’re doing 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 publish a map of your estate, a baseline ecological survey and a plan for how you’ll be restoring habitats, species and carbon over the next five years.
“It’s time we made the 1% of the population who own half of England – and who often claim to be ‘custodians of the countryside’ – accountable to the public.”
The Lie of the Land is published on 12 September by HarperCollins.