Rumoured budget cuts for National Landscapes could be catastrophic

An article published by the Guardian today exposes a rumoured 12% cut to National Landscapes’ budgets. On the back of chronic under-funding over many years, cuts of this proportion would be catastrophic and could result in up to 38% of staff losing their jobs and some National Landscapes teams no longer existing.

Dr. Elaine King, Chief Executive of the Chilterns National Landscape said:

“Ironically, the news of proposed budget cuts come just weeks after the Secretary of State at Defra committed to an ambitious package of measures to protect and restore nature, stating that National Landscapes will form the backbone of nature recovery in England and make a significant contribution to meeting the government’s environmental targets.

At such a critical time for nature and climate, the government should be investing in National Landscapes and the skilled staff that care for them, not expecting us to do more for the nation with even fewer resources.”

We wholeheartedly agree with the National Landscapes Association’s calls for the government to truly invest in nature in the face of a nature and climate crisis.