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The Alliance for Northern Nature

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A distant view of Whernside in the Yorkshire Dales, with a viaduct in front

The UK is one of the most nature-depleted nations in the world. Since 1970, species across the UK have declined by an average of 19% and nearly one in six species are now threatened with extinction.

The Alliance for Northern Nature, led by the University of Leeds, will bring together communities and organisations across the UK to restore biodiversity – with an initial focus on the North of England.

Most of our countryside is managed for agriculture and food production. We haven’t managed it nearly so well for the climate or nature. Many habitats have been lost.

— Associate Professor Cat Scott

Read the full research story

Impact

  • Community partnerships: several projects work with third-sector partners and local volunteers to help restore biodiversity and study changes in the landscape
  • Environmental impact: restoring biodiversity, supporting the climate and flood prevention
  • Policy impact: a dedicated Research to Policy Network will build an evidence base that drives new policies to support native woodland across the UK and Europe.

Key Information

  • Major funders: Philip Leverhulme Trust, European Research Council, Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Garfield Weston Foundation, Northern Monk, the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, Copeland Community Fund, Peter Sowerby Foundation, North Face, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
  • Partners and collaborators: Natural England, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, The Woodland Trust, The United Bank of Carbon, White Rose Forest, National Trust, Forestry England, University of Cumbria, University of York, South Cumbria Rivers Trust, Leeds Beckett University, Forest Research, Leeds City Council, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Forestry Commission, the European Outdoor Conservation Association
  • Disciplines: environment, climate change, biology
  • Investigators: Professor Dominick Spracklen, Dr Cat Scott.

Image by Ben Craven, School of Earth and Environment

Keywords: nature recovery, peatlands, rewilding, sustainable farming, regenerative farming, wildlife, Yorkshire Dales, Ingleborough, biodiversity, carbon capture, climate change, flood prevention, the Western Dales, West Lakes and the Northern Public Forest Estate, wellbeing, conservation