Barnacle geese at Preston Merse, Mersehead RSPB reserve, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland

Landscape scale conservation

Wildlife is facing huge challenges. Species are dying out, climate change is affecting the environment and pressures on land are growing. What are we going to do about it?

Nature reserves and protected areas are a good start. But on their own, they are not enough to deal with these challenges. We can't just look after small pockets of land because nature is everywhere. We need to look to the wider countryside, restoring and recreating vibrant landscapes in which birds and other wildlife will thrive. This means increasing our efforts across the UK and thinking big!

The Futurescapes Initiative

Broubster Leans RSPB reserve. Looking south, through a sea of Cotton grass / Bog cotton

What is Futurescapes?

We’ve chosen the name Futurescapes for our UK-wide programme of landscape-scale conservation initiatives.

Sites we're working on

Discover more about our Futurescapes sites across the UK

RSPB Cirl Bunting Re-introduction Project. Nick Tomalin surveying Cirl buntings and searching for evidence of successful breeding / nesting. Cornwall,

Who we're working with

Here are some examples of Futurescapes projects happening right now across the UK.

Landscape view of Otmoor RSPB reserve, Oxfordshire, May 2011

Futurescapes downloads

Download a Futurescapes booklet for more information about projects in your country.

Map view
List view

Map - Where are our Futurescapes?

To find out more, pick a marker from the map or zoom in.

Bowland Futurescape

Situated between the south Pennines and the Lake District, Bowland is a rugged and expansive upland landscape of moorland, blanket bog, farmland and wooded valleys.
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Cairngorms Futurescape

The wider Cairngorms Futurescape contains both the Badenoch & Strathspey and Caledonian Pinewood Futurescapes. Together these encompass the whole of the Cairngorms – some 458,300 hectares.
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Cornwall Coast Futurescape

Cornwall’s coastline is magical - a dramatic place of soaring cliffs and secret coves. It’s a working landscape where agriculture and fishing are still important even though tourism underpins Cornwall’s economy now.
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Dark Peak Futurescape

Situated in the northern part of the Peak District, the Dark Peak is characterised by remote peat-dominated upland moors and rocky gritstone crags.
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Dearne Valley Futurescape

Once the proud heart of the Yorkshire coalfield, the Dearne Valley in South Yorkshire is now characterised by a diverse mixture of wetlands, farmland and woodland.
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Garnock Valley Futurescape

From hazy, upland moors, through mossy, wooded glens to sweeping sands, saltmarsh and sand dunes, the Garnock Valley Futurescape has a wealth of important natural habitats, all rich in wildlife.
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Greater Thames Futurescape

On the doorstep of one of the world’s foremost waterways ancient habitats, rare species and wildlife spectacles are intertwined with commercial shipping, intensive farming, heavy industry and power generation.
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Gwent Levels Futurescape

The Gwent Levels Futurescape is renowned for the huge diversity of life it supports – a rich patchwork of different habitats and landscapes sweeping the coastlines from Cardiff to the Severn Bridge and beyond.
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Humberhead Levels Futurescape

The Humberhead Levels is a naturally wet landscape where four of England’s major rivers meet, forming the Humber Estuary.
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Inner Forth Futurescape

The Inner Forth is a landscape rich in industrial heritage, hugely important for agriculture and home to many thousands of people.
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Lough Erne Basin Futurescape

Rising in Monaghan, the River Erne flows through Upper and Lower Lough Erne before draining into Donegal Bay. The Loughs, and their catchments, sustain a wide array of natural habitats and wildlife.
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Living Loch Leven Futurescape

At the heart of this Living Loch Leven lies the beautiful loch itself, an internationally important wildlife site attracting thousands of visitors throughout the year.
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Machair Futurescape

Machair is a rare coastal habitat of low-lying grassland and shell sand unique to the north-western fringe of Europe. It supports an outstanding variety of wildlife, including corncrakes.
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Lough Neagh Basin Futurescape

The largest freshwater lake in the UK and Ireland, legend has it that it was formed by a warrior giant. Today, the wildlife-rich wetlands are internationally renowned, and form vital functions for humans too.
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Morecambe Bay Futurescape

From woodlands and grassland to peat bogs and reedbeds, the countryside surrounding Morecambe Bay is peppered with exceptional sites and amazing habitats for wildlife.
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Nene Valley Futurescape

The wetlands along the River Nene valley in Northamptonshire are like a chain of precious stones. Each is part of a landscape of international importance for birds like golden plovers, ducks, herons and waders, as well as dragonflies, otter
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North Lakes Futurescape

Enjoyed by millions of visitors annually, the North Lakes Futurescape offers an awe-inspiring landscape of open fells, wooded valleys, lakes, tumbling streams and meadows.
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North Wales Moors Futurescape

The North Wales Moors is a unique landscape shaped by the traditional farming and the local communities surrounding it.
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Portsmouth to Pagham Futurescape

The coastal plain from Portsmouth to Pagham Harbour is one of the most important areas for birds and other wildlife in southern England.
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Ribble Coast and Wetlands Futurescape

The Ribble is home to a fantastic range of wildlife and more than a quarter of a million migrating water birds feed on and around the estuary.
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Sherwood Forest Futurescape

Famously home to Robin Hood, the Sherwood Forest Futurescape contains a mosaic of ancient woodland, heathlands, acidic grasslands, river corridors, man-made lakes and farmland.
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Shropshire Wetlands Futurescape

The Shropshire Wetlands Futurescape is part of the meres and mosses – a 2,000-hectare internationally important wetland landscape of pools (meres), bogs (mosses) and peat floodplains (moors).
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Solway Wetlands Futurescape

Overlooked by Scottish hills to the north and the Cumbrian Fells to the south, the Solway Plain offers a mixture of coastal, estuarine and wetland habitats.
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South Downs Futurescape

The South Downs we see today are inextricably linked to the people who have lived and worked here. The key is to build connections across the landscape, making sure it's at its best for people and wildlife.
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Somerset Levels and Moors Futurescape

This little-known landscape is one of the largest wetlands remaining in England - rich in nature, history and legend.
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Staffordshire Woods and Moors

The Staffordshire Woods and Moors is a rich mosaic of woodland, grassland and moorland that's home to a range of special wildlife.
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Suffolk Coast Futurescape

The Suffolk coast is one of the UK’s most diverse areas - home to an incredible variety of wildlife.
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The Brecks Futurescape

The Brecks is a unique and special landscape. Made up of rare grass heathland, the largest lowland forest in the UK, wildlife-rich farmland and unusual wetlands it spans nearly 1,000 square kilometres across the heart of East Anglia.
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The Fens Futurescape

Formerly a vast, impenetrable marshland, the Fens now help feed the country.
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The Broads Futurescape

The UK’s largest wetland, the Broads is a unique mix of habitats supporting a spectacular array of wildlife.
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The Flows Futurescape

The Flows is the largest single expanse of blanket bog in the world. The bog acts as a massive carbon store and supports a wide range of wildlife.
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Three Rivers Futurescape

The wildlife sites around the Three Rivers estuaries, surrounding valleys and coast are valued internationally. Our varied landscapes and shores host a stunning diversity of animals and plants.
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Trent and Tame River Valleys Futurescape

The UK’s third longest river, the Trent and touches the lives of more than six million people. It meanders almost 190 miles through this Futurescape, from the Tame the heart of the Midlands to the Humber.
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Upper Thames Futurescape

The tributaries of the River Thames which weave their way through Oxfordshire link amazing sites and habitats for wildlife. We’re making sure that individual sites work together, acting as stepping stones through the landscape.
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Wild Purbeck Futurescape

Purbeck is one of the richest places for wildlife in the UK, thanks to its unique combination of open coast, natural harbour, heathland, chalk and limestone habitats
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Wiltshire Chalk Country Futurescape

This unique landscape has been shaped by farming, ancient civilisations and military training, and is dotted with Stone Age barrows offering panoramic views.
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