Woodland floor close up of new tree life

Nature

Home Protect Nature

At the Lake District National Park, we take care of our flora and fauna and our unique landscape in a number of different ways.

We work with our partners and communities with an emphasis on farming led nature recovery, to ensure that our habitats and species are better protected, and become more resilient and adaptable to the impacts of a changing climate.

In this section, discover our nature recovery plan, learn about our wildlife and national nature reserves, what work at different scales is happening across the Park to help nature, and find out about funding opportunities for farmers and landowners.

Eskdale valley in summer with green fertile land in the foreground used for farming

Delivering farming, forestry, nature recovery and climate together

The Lake District National Park Partnership is working in collaboration with farmers and land managers across the National Park to deliver nature recovery and climate resilience projects while supporting the continuation of farming and forestry and conservation of cultural heritage.

Farming, forestry and nature

view of river, river back and distant woodland hills with tall grass in foreground

Large-scale nature recovery initiatives

Ambitious nature recovery efforts are already underway in the Lake District National Park, being led by a range of organisations and landowners. Learn more about some of these initiatives by following the links below.

Nature recovery initiatives

Bassenthwaite Lake from the shore looking towards snowy topped mountains

National Nature Reserves

National Nature Reserves are key places for wildlife and natural features and help protect the most significant areas of habitat and of geological features in our Park. Discover Bassenthwaite Lake, our national nature reserve near Keswick.

Our National Nature Reserves

Woodland creation

Trees and woodlands are valuable wildlife habitat and carbon store, as well as providing shelter for livestock, improving soils, and giving opportunity for farm diversification through agroforestry and timber. We provide information and funding advice on tree planting.

Woodland creation

Water

Water forms a key part of the Lake District’s landscape – our lakes, tarns, rivers and becks (streams) are one of the Lake District’s special qualities.

The Lake District’s waterbodies face many pressures and these combined pressures threaten freshwater habitats and the species that depend on them. To protect these vital ecosystems everyone needs to work together to take action and ensure there is sustainable, integrated water management across our protected landscape.

Water

close up of of yellow iris flowers amongst green leaves

Nature projects

There are some fantastic nature projects going on in the Lake District National Park. We have teamed up with other nature protection and management organisations to deliver impactful projects that protect the nature in our Park for future generations.

See our projects