Read end-to-end by a FundingAtlas editor against the official source.
Quick answer
Landscape Recovery is one of Defra's Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes. It supports landowners and managers to deliver large-scale, long-term environmental and climate projects, including biodiversity, nature recovery and net-zero outcomes. Selected projects receive funding for development and implementation phases.
Funding amount
Multi-year project development and implementation funding
Region
England
Stage
Any stage
Provider
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Frequently asked questions
- Who is Landscape Recovery for?
- Landowners, land managers and consortia delivering qualifying large-scale environmental projects in England.
- How much funding is available through Landscape Recovery?
- Funding is Multi-year project development and implementation funding. Exact amounts depend on project scope, eligibility, and the live call. Always confirm current figures on the official provider page before applying.
- How long does the Landscape Recovery application take?
- Timelines vary by call. Plan for several weeks between starting the application and a funding decision, and longer where panel review, due diligence, or subsidy-control checks apply.
- What are the main alternatives to Landscape Recovery?
- Consider other Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs programmes, options on the Innovation Funding Pathway, and adjacent routes discussed in our KTP vs Innovate UK Smart Grants comparison.
- What happens after a successful Landscape Recovery application?
- Successful applicants sign a funding agreement, complete onboarding, and report against agreed milestones. Use the award to build the evidence base for follow-on funding once the project delivers measurable outcomes.
- What are the most common mistakes when applying for Landscape Recovery?
- Weak fit with the stated objectives, vague impact metrics, missing match funding, and applying before the business is operationally ready are the most common reasons applications stall or are rejected.
Usually too early when
Advisor signal
Apply before you can clearly articulate the project scope, evidence of fit with Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs's priorities, and a credible delivery plan. Although open to most stages, assessors expect a coherent track record on which to score the application.
Eligibility
Landowners, land managers and consortia delivering qualifying large-scale environmental projects in England.
Common reasons applications fail
Reasons applications fail or stall: • Weak fit with the stated objectives of the scheme. • Vague impact claims without named metrics, baselines or timing. • Match funding not secured at the point of application. • Project plan that reads like business-as-usual rather than additional, new activity. • Insufficient evidence the team has delivered comparable work before. • Late engagement — applying close to deadline without internal sign-off.
What improves your odds
Strong alignment with Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs's published priorities. A specific, measurable project with named deliverables and timelines. Evidence the team can deliver — relevant prior projects, named technical leads, and secured (not hoped-for) match funding where required. Clear quantified impact: jobs, productivity, exports, emissions reduction or commercial outcomes appropriate to the scheme.
Typical successful applicant
A UK-based organisation that already meets the eligibility criteria for Landscape Recovery on paper, has prior delivery experience relevant to Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, and can evidence the stated impact within the funding window.
Common misconceptions
That Landscape Recovery is a quick or guaranteed source of capital. It is not — assessment is competitive and most applicants are unsuccessful. That a strong application can be drafted in days; in practice, competitive submissions take weeks of preparation, evidence gathering, and internal sign-off.
What comes next
On a successful award: deliver against the agreed milestones, build the evidence base for follow-on funding (commercial pilots, larger grants, debt or equity), and document outcomes that strengthen the next application. On rejection: request feedback, address the specific weaknesses, and consider an adjacent scheme on the Innovation Funding Pathway before re-applying.
Funding context
Landscape Recovery sits within Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs's wider funding remit. Treat it as one option on the Innovation Funding Pathway; the right route depends on stage, project type and what comes next commercially. Use it alongside, not instead of, complementary support.
Related routes
- Industrial Energy Transformation Fund
- Advanced Propulsion Centre Collaborative R&D
- Aerospace Technology Institute Programme
- Boiler Upgrade Scheme
- Innovation Funding Pathway
- R&D Tax & Reliefs Pathway
- KTP vs Innovate UK Smart Grants
- Regional Funding vs National Funding
- Am I too early for Innovate UK?
- How to fund deep tech
Industries
Objectives
Regions