Wildlife Rich Habitat Fund

What do I need to know before applying?

We want to hear from you if you think you could create or restore wildlife-rich habitat within the Lake District National Park. To propose your project to us, please fill out a Farming in Protected Landscapes expression of interest form, telling us about what you want to do and where, and tick the box to highlight you are interested in the Wildlife Rich Habitat Fund.

The fund is designed to support specific types of projects so it is important to understand what it can and cannot fund.

The Wildlife Rich Habitat Fund can:

• Only provide capital funding.
• Only be used to fund actions taking place outside of protected sites (meaning SPAs, SACs, SSSIs and Marine Conservation Zones).
• Only be used to fund actions which increase the extent of wildlife-rich habitat. The focus of this fund is creating new wildlife-rich habitat and not maintaining or enhancing the condition of existing habitat that can be recognised as that habitat type. Action on ‘degraded habitats’ can count. Degraded habitat is habitat which no longer has the required level of natural functioning to support the typical flora and fauna expected in that habitat. Examples of degraded habitats are given in TIN219, but include existing habitat developed on drained peat where hydrological restoration is required to restore the peat, and ancient woodland sites with non-native tree species (plantations on ancient woodland sites).
• Only be used where actions are expected to be sufficient to create one of the types of habitat at the quality listed in table 2 of Natural England’s target guidance document.
• Not be used for applications where actions change one type of wildlife-rich habitat for another (e.g. removing scrub to create species rich grassland).
• Not be used for compensatory habitat creation/ restoration (for example where action is already required as part of a Biodiversity Net Gain obligation)
• Only fund action completed in the same financial year you are granted the funding.
• Be used in combination with Farming in Protected Landscapes funding if you want to do other work as part of your project.

You will need to be able to clearly identify the proposed habitat creation/restoration area(s) on a map to help us assess your eligibility.

Examples of wildlife-rich habitat you could create or restore through this fund include turning semi-improved grassland into an orchard or pond, and turning areas of bracken into wood pasture. These are just two examples, and there are many other habitat ideas which could be appropriate.

If you’re not sure if your habitat idea is appropriate for this fund, or whether you could deliver the work by 31 March 2027, complete an expression of interest form and we will work with you to help identify whether your project (or part of your project) could receive Wildlife Rich Habitat funding this year, or next year. If not eligible, we can help advise what other funding options could support your ambitions.

How do I apply?

Submit a Farming in Protected Landscapes expression of interest form, telling us about what you want to do and where, and tick the box to highlight you are interested in the Wildlife Rich Habitat Fund. If you are not the farmer or land manager for the land you are proposing an idea for – please state this under the ‘Your farm’ section, along with the location(s).