Countryscape

What Countryscape does

Countryscape is a privately held, multi-disciplinary environmental consultancy headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, established in 2002. It combines the creative capabilities of a communications agency (branding, print and digital media, interpretation, exhibitions, photography and videography) with the technical expertise of an environmental consultancy (landscape ecology, GIS, habitat mapping, spatial planning and landscape character assessment). The firm operates with a small team of approximately 9-10 named professionals across director, designer, analyst and manager roles, and serves UK Government agencies, conservation charities, tourism bodies and research institutions.

The company delivers project-based professional services across four pillars — Design and Communication, Events and Engagement, Maps and GIS, and Landscape and Place-making — and serves clients including the National Trust (approved supplier since 2006, work across 30+ estates), Natural England (continuous relationship since 2002), the National Lottery Heritage Fund (contributing to nine major Landscape Partnership Schemes of £2-3m each), and Scottish Natural Heritage. Technically, its proprietary assets centre on repeatable frameworks such as the Ecosystem Approach Handbook (with Natural England) and the Talking About Our Place Toolkit (for SNH), supplemented by pioneering use of GIS for landscape planning developed by Technical Director Jonathan Porter, a Cambridge-trained landscape ecologist.

Commercially, Countryscape generates revenue via negotiated, quote-based consultancy contracts with no publicly disclosed pricing. Distribution is direct, driven by approved-supplier status, long-standing client relationships and word-of-mouth in the UK environmental and tourism sectors. Beyond client work, the firm is a founding partner and Secretariat manager for Oppla, a non-profit web-based community and innovation hub for nature-based solutions recognised by the European Commission as the EU Repository of Nature-Based Solutions and supported through approximately €5 million of prior EU FP7 investment. The firm holds no external institutional funding, has no disclosed parent company or subsidiaries, and operates as an independent, founder-/partner-owned SME.

Name

Countryscape

Legal name

Countryscape

Website

https://countryscape.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Countryscape is a Manchester-based, multi-disciplinary environmental consultancy combining creative communications with landscape ecology, GIS and spatial planning expertise. It serves UK government agencies, conservation charities, tourism bodies and EU research consortia via project-based professional services and the Oppla nature-based solutions platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Consultancy Services: Project-based consultancy engagements across design and communication, events and engagement, GIS and mapping, and landscape and place-making. Work spans major programmes for European bodies and government agencies to local initiatives for communities, charities and businesses.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Countryscape is a multi-disciplinary consultancy combining creative communications agency capabilities with environmental consultancy expertise. It delivers four core service areas to clients in environmental and tourism sectors: Design and Communication (branding, interpretation, cartography, videography), Events and Engagement (conferences, public consultations, community programmes), Maps and GIS (habitat mapping, landscape character assessment, spatial planning), and Landscape and Place-making (landscape ecology, natural capital, urban design). The firm also manages and develops the Oppla Platform, a separate web-based community for nature-based solutions.

Product overview

Countryscape is a multi-disciplinary consultancy combining creative communications agency skills with environmental consultancy expertise. The company offers four core service areas: Design and Communication, Events and Engagement, Maps and GIS, and Landscape and Place-making. Additionally, Countryscape is a founding member and partner of the Oppla Platform — a separate non-profit web-based community and innovation hub for nature-based solutions, ecosystem services and natural capital.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Oppla Platform A web-based community and innovation hub for sharing knowledge about nature-based solutions, ecosystem services and natural capital. Oppla hosts over 2,500 members and provides a Knowledge Marketplace, community directory, Q&A service, and project archiving. Countryscape is a founding member and manages and develops the platform.
• Design and Communication Services

Quantifiable outcome

• No unhappy clients in 15 years of trading
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• National TrustflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Approved supplier to the National Trust since 2006. Countryscape has extensive experience providing design and interpretation services to over 30 National Trust estates across the UK, including flagship destinations such as Dunham Massey, Lyme, Beningbrough, and Claife Viewing Station at Windermere. Produced best practice guidance including handbook on outdoor interpretation for countryside estates.
• Natural EnglandflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2002Long-standing client since 2002 when Countryscape began facilitating the Countryside Character Network. Led creation of Database of Landscape Character Assessments in England and coordinated communication for Countryside Quality Counts. Technical Director Jonathan Porter is a member of Natural England's Landscape Advisory Group.
• OpplacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCountryscape is a founding member and partner of Oppla, a non-profit entity with mission to assist people in making nature work for the benefit of humankind. Countryscape manages and develops the Oppla platform - a web-based community and innovation hub for nature-based solutions, ecosystem services and natural capital. Oppla has attracted over 2,500 members and is recognized by the European Commission as the EU Repository of Nature-Based Solutions. The concept is the result of approximately €5 million investment from two EU FP7 projects, involving over 60 universities, research institutes, agencies and enterprises.
• EU Horizon 2020 ProjectscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOppla (with Countryscape as founding partner) is currently a partner in several EU Horizon 2020 projects including Connecting Nature, We Value Nature, NetworkNature, INTERLACE, CONEXUS, and Go Green Routes.
• Valuing Nature ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeveloped brand identity for the Valuing Nature Programme - a five year, £6.5m initiative that aims to better understand and represent the complexities of the natural environment in valuation analyses and decision making. Provided website, promotional materials, video, exhibitions, and reports.
• Scottish Natural HeritagecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorked with Scottish Natural Heritage on multiple projects including preparing the Talking About Our Place Toolkit - a valuable tool for helping people discover and value landscapes and place. Led tourism sector projects within the economic development activities.
• National Lottery Heritage FundflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorked closely with numerous NLHF projects at both application and implementation stage. Contributed to nine major Landscape Partnership Schemes with budgets of around £2-3 million each. Previously completed a review of 22 Landscape Partnerships identifying good practice and critical success factors.
• UK Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaul Mahony has developed and managed communications strategies, information platforms and knowledge networks for Defra within the public and private sectors.
• Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPaul Mahony has developed communications strategies and managed knowledge exchange activities for CEH.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AECOM Environment: Global consultancy with a large environment and landscape practice serving UK government, heritage, and infrastructure clients. Comparable service overlap (landscape assessment, GIS, environmental planning) but operates at scale and competes for the same public-sector framework contracts.
• Arup: Global design and engineering firm with a dedicated landscape, ecology, and urban design practice. Comparable in combining creative and scientific disciplines for environmental and place-making projects, but with substantially broader capabilities and scale.
• WSP Environment: Global environmental consultancy offering landscape, ecology, GIS, and stakeholder engagement as part of a much larger infrastructure and environment practice. Comparable on services but at vastly greater scale and through national procurement frameworks.
• RSK Group: UK-based environmental and engineering services group operating across ecology, landscape, and GIS for public-sector clients. Comparable services, similar UK focus, but at much greater scale through acquisitions.
• AtkinsRéalis (formerly Atkins / SNC-Lavalin): Major UK infrastructure consultancy with an environment and landscape team serving Natural England, Defra, and NLHF-type clients. Comparable in service mix but typically delivers as a tier-1 framework supplier rather than boutique specialist.

Direct peers

• Land Use Consultants (LUC): UK environmental planning, landscape, and ecology consultancy. Most directly comparable peer: similar size, UK-based, mixes landscape assessment, GIS, planning, and stakeholder engagement for public-sector heritage and environmental clients.
• JBA Consulting: UK environmental and engineering consultancy with a similar boutique-to-mid-market profile, working on environment, landscape, and catchment-scale projects for public-sector clients. Comparable on project types and customer base.
• CSA Environmental: Specialist UK environmental consultancy focused on ecology, landscape, and planning for heritage, conservation, and public-sector clients. Closely comparable niche and customer profile.
• The Landscape Partnership: UK landscape architecture, urban design, and environmental planning practice. Directly comparable on landscape character assessment, place-making, and heritage-sector projects for National Trust and public-sector clients.

Emerging players

• eftec (Economics for the Environment Consultancy): UK boutique consultancy specialising in environmental economics, natural capital valuation, and ecosystem services — areas Countryscape also touches via Oppla and the Valuing Nature Programme. Comparable on natural-capital methodology but with a more economics-led rather than creative-comms-led offering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/countryscape
• YouTubevimeo.com/countryscape
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/countryscape

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Countryscape