Protect Earth’s Land Fund
Protect Earth is buying low quality farmland and creating green spaces encouraging greater biodiversity.
In 2024, 13% of the UK has woodland coverage, while 76% of the UK is agricultural.
Repurposing non-productive agricultural land, developing it into acres and hectares of joined-up natural green space stocked with native and naturalised species, encouraging plants and animals for decades and centuries.
Many of today's woodlands in the UK are ineffective at holding on to biodiversity or sequestering carbon. Some of what's being counted as woodland are small copses of woods between fields - far too small for meaningful biodiversity to take root. Or it's commercial woodland - much of which is fast-growing monoculture - engineered for a fast turnover, again unsuitable for any regeneration. The commercial intention negates long-term carbon sinking as every 50 years or so, carbon will be released from felled trees.
Buying low-quality agricultural land depleted of life - the unwanted land ensures Protect Earth can rehabilitate the land, the soil, and the local environment to create tomorrow's ancient woodlands.
Case Study: High Wood
This ancient woodland has been clear-cut and restocked with non-native timbers for decades. The result –within the centre of the mature stands of Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar –a lifeless woodland withzero ground flora, few bird species,and almost no other wildlife. The woodland edges, path and trackside verges, regenerating cleared areas, hedges and scattered broadleaf trees hold most of the wildlife diversity and demonstrate how good it could’ve been with better management... and could still be. Thanks to your generous donations we’re making this happen.
Help us set down roots, and get our next forest off the ground!
You can do one-off donations, or monthly, and we’ll send updates, photographs, and videos, of our reforestation efforts right in your inbox!