Grants and funding: Natural Resource Protection
These schemes are concerned with care for our natural heritage, making the countryside attractive and enjoyable for all, and preserving biological diversity. Select schemes that interest you, to read more.
The programme incorporates a range of schemes covering environmental land management (including biodiversity, landscape conservation, access to the countryside and soil and water protection). It supports Defra’s Public Service Agreement 3 objectives.
Scheme |
Summary |
| Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund | Aims to minimise demand for primary aggregates, promote environmentally friendly extraction and transport, and reduce local effects of aggregate extraction. |
| Countryside Stewardship Scheme | Scheme now closed and being replaced by Environmental Stewardship. Encouraged farmers and land-managers to enter into 10 year agreements to manage their land in environmentally beneficial ways. |
| English Woodland Grant Scheme * | Grants to private landowners to encourage the creation
of new woodlands and to assist with the management of existing
woodlands. Successor to Farm
Woodland Premium Scheme and Woodland
Grant Scheme. |
| Entry-Level Stewardship | Part of Environmental Stewardship |
| Environmental Action Fund | Grants to voluntary sector groups to further Government sustainable development objectives. |
| Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme | Scheme replaced by Environmental Stewardship; incentives to agricultural practices to safeguard and enhance parts of the country of particularly high landscape, wildlife or historic value. |
| Environmental Stewardship | Incorporates Entry-Level Stewardship; Higher-Level Stewardship; Organic Entry Level Stewardship |
| Farm Woodland Premium Scheme | Scheme now closed; aimed to enhance the environment through the planting of farm woodlands. See English Woodland Grant Scheme *Links to Forestry Commission website |
| Higher-Level Stewardship | Part of Environmental Stewardship |
| Land Purchase Grants | English Nature grants to voluntary nature conservation organisations to acquire and manage important areas of land. |
| Organic Entry Level Stewardship | Part of Environmental Stewardship |
| Organic Farming Scheme | Scheme now closed and being replaced by Organic Entry Level Stewardship. Encouraged expansion of organic production. |
| Rural Enterprise Scheme | Scheme now closed to new applicants - Supports projects aiming to develop more sustainable, diversified and enterprising rural economies and communities. |
| Woodland Grant Scheme | Scheme now closed; aimed to enhance the environment through the creation of new woodlands. See English Woodland Grant Scheme *Links to Forestry Commission website |
| Wild Space Grant Scheme | Grants to local communities for Local Nature Reserves. |
Other sources of funding
Page last modified:
01 April 2005
Page published: 01 April 2005