The Hadrian’s Wall Wetland Landscape Recovery project is getting a huge chunk of funding
A bold new nature recovery project near Hadrian’s Wall is set to transform over 11,000 acres of farmland and forest, an area four times the size of Kielder Water, into a thriving, connected landscape for wildlife, people, and climate resilience.
Thanks to a £750,000 grant from DEFRA’s Landscape Recovery scheme, the Hadrian’s Wall Wetland Landscape Recovery project will restore and reconnect rare habitats, supporting iconic species like curlew, otter, osprey, and water vole, while helping farmers adapt to climate change.
“This is one of the most ambitious nature recovery projects in the UK,” said Tony Gates, Chief Executive of Northumberland National Park Authority. “We’re creating a landscape where nature and farming work hand in hand supporting biodiversity, tackling climate change, and enhancing the well-being of local communities and visitors alike.”
A vision for a wilder, healthier Northumberland
The project forms part of the wider Hadrian’s Wall: Recovering Nature initiative, launched in 2023, and aims to deliver long-term environmental benefits while preserving the area’s rich cultural heritage. The project area stretches along Hadrian’s Wall from Greenlee Lough to Bell Crag Flow, linking two National Nature Reserves, 12.8km of the UNESCO World Heritage Site, and over 1,200 hectares of carbon-rich peatlands.
This connected approach will:
• Enhance biodiversity across wetlands, woodlands, and grasslands
• Support sustainable farming and provide long-term financial security for land managers
• Reduce flood risk to nearby communities
• Improve water quality and carbon storage
• Boost eco-tourism and public access to nature
• Strengthen the connection between natural and cultural heritage
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A further £68,000 from Historic England will support public engagement, strengthening the connection between natural and cultural heritage, and ensuring more people can enjoy the health and well-being benefits of this historic landscape.
Farmers at the heart of recovery
Local farmers and landowners are central to the project’s success. The National Park is working with them to co-design nature-friendly land management plans that sustain productive businesses while restoring natural systems.
Kit Acton, farmer at Bradley Farm near Hadrian’s Wall signed up to the Landscape Recovery project, said:
“The Hadrian's Wall Wetlands project represents an exciting opportunity for farmers to engage collaboratively with Northumberland National Park Authority to enhance biodiversity and wider ecosystem services in a working landscape.
“During the development phase we are designing a land management framework that will provide locally adapted solutions for such a complex and iconic site.
“If funding can be secured to carry the project into implementation, we will be able to deliver benefits for wildlife, the environment and tourism whilst maintaining the local rural community, a prospect I am really enthusiastic about.”
A regional contribution to Government’s aim of 30 by 30
The Hadrian’s Wall Wetlands project directly supports the UK Government’s commitment to protect 30% of land for nature by 2030, and sets a precedent for how large-scale, collaborative recovery can work in harmony with rural livelihoods.
Following the two-year development phase, the National Park aims to secure long-term public and private investment for a 20-year delivery programme, making this one of the UK’s most significant landscape-scale recovery efforts.