Over the past 30 years, landowners in England have received more than £9 billion of taxpayers’ money for environmental benefits, yet data shows that nature has continued to decline during this period.
Guy Shrubsole, a nature campaigner and author of the new book The Lie of The Land, uncovered this data and argues that large landowners should be required to publish regular reports detailing their efforts to manage their land for nature and carbon.
This proposed “ecological Domesday survey” would ensure that landowners are effectively using the public funds provided to them to enhance nature, rather than merely benefiting financially from owning extensive tracts of land.
Shrubsole contends that individuals who own large estates—specifically those exceeding 1,000 acres—should be held accountable for their role in the nature and biodiversity crises.
He suggests that these landowners should be mandated to produce five-year reports outlining their actions to restore habitats, aid wildlife recovery, and enhance natural carbon sinks.
Between 1992 and 2022, landowners and farmers in England received £9.2 billion in environmental stewardship grants, which is equivalent to £12.5 billion when adjusted for inflation.
Factories Operating Causing Air Pollution (Photo: UNDP)Despite this significant financial support, the state of nature in England has deteriorated, with only 39% of the country’s sites of special scientific interest in favorable condition and farmland bird populations halved since 1970.
These stewardship schemes include initiatives to improve soil health, prevent water pollution, increase wildlife numbers, manage flooding, and provide public access to land.
Shrubsole remarked, “For decades, the public has paid billions of pounds to landowners to be good stewards of nature. In some cases, this has been effective—but too often, landowners have failed to deliver, leading to severe declines in habitats and wildlife.”
He emphasized that stewardship implies managing the land on behalf of others, the public. “Therefore, landowners should be transparent about their efforts.
We need an ecological Domesday survey: if you own 1,000 acres or more, you should publish a map of your estate, a baseline ecological survey, and a plan for how you will restore habitats, species, and carbon over the next five years.”
Shrubsole concluded, “It’s time to hold the 1% of the population who own half of England—who often claim to be ‘custodians of the countryside’—accountable to the public.”