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Open habitat conservation

About a third of the land we manage is open ground. This provides a diverse range of habitats for a huge number of species.

Much of this open ground exists because it is too high or too wet to plant. In other cases we're deliberately leaving areas of open ground in newly created forests to conserve important habitats.

We’re also working to restore some of our rarest open habitats, including lowland raised bog and blanket bogs. We carry out conservation management of wildflower meadows and coastal sand dunes.

Conservation stories

Conservation grazing

Sometimes, grass-eating animals can be of huge benefit to the success of habitat improvement programmes.

Peatland restoration

Peatland restoration is an integral part of sustainably managing land. See how we're restoring peatlands to maximise the benefits they can provide.