Heart of the Dales Landscape Recovery Project

The Yorkshire Dales is a remarkable upland environment, rich in ecological and cultural significance. The Heart of the Dales Landscape Recovery Project includes the conservation and restoration of numerous priority habitats, including blanket bog, upland calcareous grassland, limestone pavement, and ancient woodland. This landscape is home to a diverse array of species, and its habitats are vital for the resilience of this ecosystem.

This landscape fosters a wealth of cultural heritage, with multiple scheduled monuments spanning from the Bronze Age to the Industrial Revolution, and several listed buildings, reflecting centuries of human connection to the land.

Led by the National Trust, the landowners and farmers across this landscape are working together to restore and enhance habitats at scale, strengthen community engagement, and build long-term environmental resilience.

This DEFRA-backed landscape recovery programme provides an exciting opportunity for businesses to invest in large-scale nature restoration across the Yorkshire Dales.

We amplify impact and reduce risk for corporate partners by:

Investing in nature means investing in the future we all share.

The vision is clear, the team is ready, now we just need you.

Supporters
Healthy Habitats
Climate Action
Social Initiatives
Conserving Heritage

Becoming a Heart of the Dales Supporter means forming a bespoke partnership tailored to your objectives, delivering real value for your organisation while supporting the recovery of our remarkable landscape.

Every partnership is different, reflecting the diverse ways businesses can contribute to and benefit from landscape-scale environmental action. We invite you to start a conversation with us about what matters most to your organisation. Together, we can design a partnership that delivers meaningful outcomes for nature, communities, and your business.

Typical partnership benefits can include:

Coverage on Heart of the Dales-associated social media channels and features in our digital campaign to ensure your commitment to nature is recognised
A collaborative press release between the Heart of the Dales programme and your organisation, positioning your brand as a champion of environmental action
Annual reports showing the positive impact of your sponsorship for nature and local Yorkshire Dales communities
Tailored facilitated corporate days out, providing unforgettable corporate experiences such as guided nature walks and hands-on nature recovery, designed to improve mental health, connection, belonging, and teamwork
Subscription to our newsletter providing updates on Heart of the Dales initiatives and showing you the positive change your support has made possible

Enhancing and creating habitats across the Yorkshire Dales landscape will provide vital support for iconic species, such as beavers, dormice and pine marten, that create powerful storytelling opportunities, strengthening your brand’s reputation and demonstrating genuine environmental stewardship.

We have designed a portfolio of high-quality habitat centred projects, delivering nature restoration and long-term management. Our projects are delivered by the National Trust alongside dedicated landowners and farmers, ensuring both quality management and meaningful environmental outcomes.

Species-rich Grasslands

The restoration of 6,000 ha of grassland and heathland will improve biodiversity and ecological connectivity. The plant species supported by these habitats will provide nectar sources for pollinators and refuge for invertebrates, benefiting to the wider ecosystem.

Wetland Habitats

We will protect and expand wetland habitats such as ponds, fens, bogs, flushes and riparian corridors by 2030 to improve ecological function. The renaturalisation of Malham Tarn Nature Reserve will enhance the surface water catchment long-term by reducing nutrient enrichment.

Woodland Creation and Enhancement

We will increase native tree cover by planting 180,000 trees by 2030, including 100 ha of temperate rainforest and montane scrub. This work will be completed in partnership with trusted organisations such as the Woodland Trust and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.

Species Reintroduction

We aim to reintroduce and support the colonisation of at least eight priority species by 2030, including lady’s slipper orchids, dormice, beavers, and pine martens.

Bespoke restore nature projects

Work with us to tailor a habitats project that aligns with your targets.

From single-habitat or species interventions to landscape-scale packages, our diverse range of habitat creation and enhancement opportunities enables us to create a bespoke project that best reflects your brand identity and leaves a lasting legacy.

Nature Credits

Work with us to create a tailored Healthy Habitats project that reflects your brand, meets your goals, and delivers lasting nature recovery at any scale.

Nature credits encapsulate multiple co-benefits from a single intervention, allowing for compelling narratives around whole-ecosystem approach to nature recovery and environmental stewardship.

Purchasing nature credits can help you meet emerging environmental disclosure requirements and demonstrate proactivity in nature-positive business practices.
The Heart of the Dales initiative will provide high-quality, reliable nature credits from initiatives that are continually monitored to ensure their success.

Biodiversity Units

Biodiversity units present a quantitative way of demonstrating enhancement to habitats and the biodiversity they support using the statutory biodiversity metric.

You can have peace of mind when accounting for biodiversity with our credible and robust biodiversity units, whether you are meeting ESG targets, striving for sustainability accreditations, or satisfying Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements.

A dedicated BNG scheme is being developed within the Heart of the Dales project to serve both mandatory and voluntary BNG, which will be registered with Natural England to give you full assurance that the environmental outcomes will be delivered.

The Climate Action projects aim to improve the resilience of this unique upland ecosystem, ensuring it thrives for generations to come.

Whether you are seeking to contribute towards your corporate social responsibility or meet ESG targets, our initiatives are tailored to align with emerging frameworks such as the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD).

Bespoke Climate Action Project

Bespoke climate resilience projects designed to meet your targets, strengthen landscapes, and safeguard nature for future generations.

Our dedicated landowners and expert partners are well placed to design a bespoke climate resilience project to align with your targets and protect this landscape for future generations to enjoy.

From peatland restoration and tree planting interventions to comprehensive landscape-scale packages, our wealth of habitat creation and enhancement opportunities place us in a unique position to create a bespoke project to best reflect your brand identity and leave a legacy.

Carbon Credits

We will drive meaningful climate action with the creation of woodlands, restoration of peatlands and nature flood management.

- Our mission to plant 180,000 trees by 2030 will generate up to [number] Pending Issuance Units (PIUs) under the Wilder Carbon Standard
- Planned restoration of over 2,800 ha of peatland will simultaneously cut carbon emissions and enhance sequestration

This initiative has potential to reduce carbon emissions equivalent to 180 households or 1,062 cars per year for the next century.

You can trust our nature-based carbon solutions that generate high-quality, climate-resilient carbon credits that deliver for the whole ecosystem.

Natural flood management

Climate change is driving more frequent and severe weather events, increasing flood risks for communities, businesses, and infrastructure.

Our interventions work with nature to slow the flow by retaining water naturally in the landscape, reducing flood risk and improving water quality.

Investing in natural flood management as part of our Climate Action package offers a powerful opportunity for you to protect the people and businesses that rely on this landscape.

Installation of around 500 leaky dams over 5 km in partnership with Flood Action Coalition will slow the flow and improve water quality by 2030
Tree planting and habitat creation will further help intercept rainfall, reduce surface water runoff, and improve soil infiltration.

Empowering local communities across the Yorkshire Dales through inclusive social initiatives that support nature, wellbeing, and long-term resilience.

The Heart of the Dales project will support the local community by facilitating grassroots action and delivering annual learning events to care better for nature in the Dales, wellbeing sessions, and youth engagement sessions.

Accessibility will be improved by upgrading 1 km of paths, installing two new hides, and creating interpretation points across the landscape
Heart of the Dales will partner with South Craven District Scouts and other organisations to deliver a nature connection programme reaching over 500 underserved individuals
An urban–rural partnership will be established to connect city-based audiences with the Dales through facilitated visits and activities
Supporting 4,000 farm and nature visits by 2046, we will create opportunities for families and schools to understand where their food comes from and how farmers care for the land
Local economies will be strengthened through apprenticeships, rural skills training, and the creation of sustained local jobs.

You can support a wide range of social initiatives across this landscape, from the delivery of inclusive engagement programmes to improved accessibility and educational sessions, creating a Dales experience that welcomes everyone.

Work with us to tailor a social initiative that aligns with your targets and brand identity to demonstrate your commitment to the environment and community action for nature and wellbeing.

The Yorkshire Dales is home to a wealth of heritage including listed buildings, scheduled monuments, and other historic features that characterise this landscape.

By 2029, we will map and protect all heritage assets through the HART Participation Programme, engaging over 100 participants in storytelling about this historic environment
Installation of interpretation points across the landscape will enhance opportunities to education the community and visitors about the rich heritage of the Dales

Work with us to tailor a heritage initiative that aligns with your targets and brand identity to demonstrate your commitment to the historic environment and community education.

Meet the team

Gwen Potter, Project Manager

Leading the Heart of the Dales Round 2 Landscape Recovery Project. She works at the intersection of landscape scale nature conservation, farming and community, developing large-scale habitat restoration focused on species rich grasslands, river and peat restoration, peatland health, new woodlands and wood pasture and biodiversity uplift.

With nearly 20 years at the National Trust and RSPB, Gwen has managed multi-site portfolios across coastal, upland and lowland habitats; led multidisciplinary teams and volunteers, secured funding for and delivered nature restoration and nature connection with people in Scotland, Wales, the North East of England and Yorkshire. Originally trained in upland invertebrate surveying, she retains a particular enthusiasm for tiny flies, as well as big mountains.

"Connecting to and caring about nature isn’t only about knowledge, binoculars or tree planting - though these matter. Nature can flow through every part of life, from what you create to how you stay healthy, reflect, play, work, and invest."

Claire Braeburn, Community & Participation Manager

“It’s all about people. The Heart of the Dales Landscape Recovery Project will only succeed if people come together to care for nature.”

Claire brings a career spanning education, public sector work and conservation, with a focus on enabling people to connect more deeply with nature and with each other. Her work centres on designing and facilitating engagement that helps individuals and communities move from awareness to action — whether through learning, wellbeing, culture or stewardship.

A skilled communicator and collaborator, Claire works across communities, partners, visitors and volunteers to ensure people are meaningfully involved in shaping the future of the landscape. Her approach is rooted in listening, co-design and building long-term relationships, creating the conditions for both people and nature to thrive.

Martin Davies, General Manager

Martin Davies is the National Trust’s General Manager for the Yorkshire Dales, where he has spent more than 27 years working alongside farm tenants to champion nature friendly farming and build climate resilient landscapes. His work focuses on supporting the Dales’ rich mosaic of habitats, from upland meadows to ancient wood pastures, but he is especially passionate about the rare and intricate wetland ecosystems around Malham Tarn. Martin is committed to ensuring that the Dales remain a living, working landscape where wildlife, farming, and people can thrive together.

“Through Landscape Recovery, I want to help create a Dales where nature is abundant, farming is sustainable, and the landscape is resilient enough to face the future with confidence.''

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Heart of the Dales Landscape Recovery Project

We amplify impact and reduce risk for corporate partners by:

Investing in nature means investing in the future we all share. The vision is clear, the team is ready, now we just need you.

Becoming a Heart of the Dales Supporter means forming a bespoke partnership tailored to your objectives, delivering real value for your organisation while supporting the recovery of our remarkable landscape.

Typical partnership benefits can include:

Species-rich Grasslands

Wetland Habitats

Woodland Creation and Enhancement

Species Reintroduction

Bespoke restore nature projects

Nature Credits

Biodiversity Units

Bespoke Climate Action Project

Carbon Credits

Natural flood management

The Yorkshire Dales is home to a wealth of heritage including listed buildings, scheduled monuments, and other historic features that characterise this landscape.

Meet the team

Gwen Potter, Project Manager

Claire Braeburn, Community & Participation Manager

Martin Davies, General Manager

Elizabeth ?, Property Ecologist

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Investing in nature means investing in the future we all share.

The vision is clear, the team is ready, now we just need you.