Environmental protection
Future-proofing the Estate’s ecosystems
Protecting the environment and range of habitats on the Defence Training Estate is of prime importance. This includes the Estate’s 169 SSSI/ASSIs, 70,000 hectares of nature conservation sites, 20,000 hectares of woodlands and 1,600 of wetlands, all covering around one per cent of the UK landmass.
Maintaining a wide variety of landscapes and terrains is not only essential for the preservation of UK ecosystems and in the fight against climate change, but also for effective military training. This should resemble as many real-life worldwide environments as possible, putting huge importance on environmental protection, so that the Estate is a place where ecosystems thrive.
Our teams are always assessing ways to keep the Estate’s ecosystems thriving – encouraging natural regeneration and habitats, conserving large areas of land, and developing natural capital and climate resilience initiatives.
At Landmarc we understand that defence must play its part in protecting the environment and work to mitigate our impact on the environment through three related ambitions: adaptation and resilience; sustainability and net-zero carbon; and global leadership.
Protecting and conserving the Training Area
ADDRESSING THE DECLINE IN BEE ABUNDANCE ON THE UK DTE
Projects led by Landmarc on the UK Defence Training Estate have been recognised in the MOD’s Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach, which was launched by the MOD in March 2021.
PREVENTING CARBON LOSS ON THE DEFENCE TRAINING ESTATE
Landmarc have delivered an exciting series of projects on the peat-based Otterburn mires to block drainage ditches, re-wet and reactivate peat growth which will not only prevent carbon loss but will restart sequestration and revitalise degraded habitats.
SUPPORTING THE ECOSYSTEM OF THE UK DEFENCE TRAINING ESTATE
The sustainability of the Training Estate is influenced by the MOD’s Climate Change and Sustainability Strategic Approach, which sets out the threats posed by climate change and how Defence must work to mitigate its impact through three interlocking ambitions; adaptation and resilience, sustainability and net zero, and global leadership.