National Landscapes Association

What National Landscapes Association does

The National Landscapes Association is a UK-registered national charity (Charity No. 1158871, Company No. 4729800) that supports the network of 38 National Landscapes, formerly known as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, across England and Wales. The Association, headquartered in Shrewsbury and rebranded from the National Association for AONB in 2023, works to make protected landscapes effective in delivering conservation, nature recovery, climate mitigation, and public access, covering 15% of England's land and within 30 minutes of 66% of England's population. It coordinates 34 local National Landscape teams, partners with local authorities (who hold legal responsibility for the designations), and convenes broad coalitions including the 150+ organisation Big Chalk Partnership for chalk and limestone restoration, the Generation Green 2 youth coalition, and academic collaborations such as the University of Exeter's BEE-STEWARD pollinator tool.

The Association's product surface is a portfolio of programmes rather than a unified software platform. Programmes include Big Chalk (landscape-scale nature recovery), Nature Calling (national arts commissioning), Gower Landscape Connections (local nature recovery), Farming in Protected Landscapes (farmer funding delivery), #LoveLandscapes (LPOTY public engagement partnership), and Your Natural Partner (corporate investment platform). Underlying technology consists of an interactive map of National Landscapes, a network platform (landscapesnetwork.org.uk), and standard conservation management tools. The Association does not disclose audited revenue, and its operating model is grant-dependent.

Revenue mechanics are dominated by statutory and lottery funding. Defra provides £7.8m annually for team costs (shared across 34 National Landscapes), with additional Defra flows including £7.8m for nature recovery, £30m for Farming in Protected Landscapes, and £6.8m for access improvements confirmed for 2025-26. The National Lottery Heritage Fund contributes project-scale grants (e.g., £245k for Gower, £3.2m for Tamara). Corporate and trust partnerships (Speedy Hire/Amey, Arts Council England, corporate donors via JustGiving) provide episodic additional income. The Association does not charge for access to National Landscapes and has no commercial product pricing; all National Landscapes are freely open to the public. The customer base is best understood as 34 internal local teams as primary clients, with farmers, landowners, young people, underserved communities, and the general public as programme beneficiaries rather than revenue-generating customers.

Name

National Landscapes Association

Legal name

National Landscapes Association

Website

https://national-landscapes.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conservation Charity Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312), Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Support Activities for Forestry (1153)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Nature, Biodiversity & Ecosystem Conservation (BPADALAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD), Grassland/Rangeland Management & Restoration (EUABABAF)

Keywords

• Conservation charity services
• Protected landscape management
• Nature recovery programmes
• Habitat restoration services
• Community engagement programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Shrewsbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable Activities and Grants: National charity that receives government funding, lottery grants, and donations to support its mission of protecting and enhancing the UK's National Landscapes.
2. Government Funding (Defra): Defra contributes £7.8 million annually for National Landscapes team costs in England, shared between 34 National Landscapes.
3. National Lottery Heritage Fund: Grant funding for landscape-scale nature recovery projects such as Gower Landscape Connections (£245,000 development funding).

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

National Landscapes Association is the UK's national charity supporting the network of 38 National Landscapes (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty) across England and Wales. It coordinates conservation, nature recovery, habitat restoration, climate change mitigation, and community engagement through programmes such as Big Chalk Partnership, Nature Calling, Gower Landscape Connections, Farming in Protected Landscapes, and Generation Green. Its core activity is programme coordination, policy advocacy, and partnership facilitation rather than direct service delivery to paying customers.

Product overview

The National Landscapes Association operates as a coordinating and advocacy body for the UK's network of 38 National Landscapes (Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty). Rather than a unified software product, the Association supports a portfolio of programmes including Big Chalk Partnership (nature recovery across 150+ organisations), Nature Calling (national arts commissioning), Gower Landscape Connections (local nature recovery initiative), Farming in Protected Landscapes (farmer funding programme), and #LoveLandscapes (in partnership with Landscape Photographer of the Year). These programmes work together to conserve and enhance the UK's outstanding landscapes through community engagement, nature restoration, and public participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Big Chalk: Partnership of 150+ organisations with common vision of creating thriving chalk and limestone landscapes across southern England. National Landscapes Association hosts the programme's team.
• Nature Calling
• Gower Landscape Connections

Products and services

• Big Chalk Partnership A partnership of 150+ organisations working to create thriving chalk and limestone landscapes across southern England, performing a vital role in nature's recovery by connecting national targets with participatory modes of delivery. The National Landscapes Association hosts the programme's team.
• Nature Calling National arts commissioning programme featuring arts, creative writing, and opportunities for community involvement in National Landscapes.
• Your Natural Partner Platform offering high-integrity and ambitious nature recovery projects ripe for investment, allowing businesses to preserve natural and cultural heritage while boosting their resilience.
• Gower Landscape Connections Nature recovery initiative focused on safeguarding key habitats across the Gower National Landscape, including commons, woodlands, salt marshes and coastal grasslands, with community engagement and education components.
• Farming in Protected Landscapes Government-funded programme supporting farmers and land managers within National Landscapes to protect the environment, improve soils, provide wildlife habitats, and maintain healthy ecosystems.
• Generation Green 2 A £4.5 million project designed to connect over 25,000 young people from disadvantaged areas with nature and rural life through day experiences, residentials, and farm-based visits.
• #LoveLandscapes Partnership with Landscape Photographer of the Year encouraging businesses and public to pledge support for nature restoration, featuring a 10-month touring exhibition.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000 hectares of peatland restored in North Pennines contributing to international 30by30 target
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, strategic and minor.

• Northumberland Coast National LandscapemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2026Partnership delivering coastal learning experiences for children from underserved communities. Part of Generation Green legacy project delivering outdoor education along Northumberland coastline.
• Gower SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 June 2025Core partner in Gower Landscape Connections project delivering nature recovery in the Gower National Landscape. Partnership awarded £245,000 from National Lottery Heritage Fund for landscape-scale nature restoration.
• Tamara Landscape PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 May 2025Tamar Valley National Landscape project funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund and Defra. Delivered £3.2m scheme including Calstock Ferry revival and 87-mile walking route.
• Landscape Photographer of the Year (LPOTY)majorGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 April 2025New partnership to celebrate UK's natural landscapes and support vital nature restoration. Competition in 17th edition reaching 1.5 million people through touring exhibition. Creates #LoveLandscapes movement.
• Big Chalk PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrowing from an initial partnership of Protected Landscapes, now comprises 150+ organisations with common vision of creating thriving chalk and limestone landscapes across southern England. Performs vital role in nature's recovery. National Landscapes Association hosts the programme's team.
• Access UnlimitedmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of not-for-profit organisations delivering Generation Green 2, a £4.5 million project connecting over 25,000 young people with nature. National Landscapes provided over 3,300 experiences.
• Activate Performing ArtsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Nature Calling - the first national programme of new art commissions by National Landscapes Association. Funded by Arts Council England and Defra to connect communities with protected landscapes.
• National Parks PartnershipmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to host inaugural Delivering for Nature, Together forum, uniting for nature and redefining future of UK's landscapes.
• Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI) - University of ExeterstrategicTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration on Farms for AONBees project developing BEE-STEWARD decision-support tool for farmers to enhance pollinator conservation and food production.
• Network RailminorGTM or Marketing PartnerExhibition partner for Landscape Photographer of the Year competition, displaying winning images in train stations across the UK.
• The TimesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner for Landscape Photographer of the Year competition, providing editorial coverage of UK's natural landscapes.
• Orchard LinkstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal volunteer-run not-for-profit organisation partnering with South Devon National Landscape on Growing Orchard Communities project (£86,800).

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Plantlife: Plantlife is a UK-wide conservation charity focused on wild plants and habitats. Operates a comparable charity model with site-based delivery, volunteer engagement, and government/lottery funding sources — making it a smaller-scale but structurally similar peer.
• Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE): CPRE is a UK-wide environmental charity advocating for the protection and enhancement of the English countryside and AONBs. Mission, stakeholder base (rural communities, farmers, planners), and policy-advocacy model are highly comparable to the Association's work on protected landscapes.
• The Wildlife Trusts: The Wildlife Trusts is a federation of 46 independent wildlife trusts covering the whole of the UK, focused on nature conservation, protected-land management, and community engagement. Directly comparable in mission, charity status, multi-stakeholder convening model, and reliance on government, lottery, and corporate funding.
• Wildlife and Countryside Link: Wildlife and Countryside Link is a coalition of over 80 UK environmental NGOs, providing policy coordination and joint advocacy on nature and biodiversity. Directly comparable convening/coordinating role to the Association within the broader UK conservation sector.
• Buglife: Buglife is a UK charity dedicated to invertebrate conservation, working across protected-land sites including National Landscapes and AONBs. Closely aligned mission and operating model, though smaller in scale and more species-specialised.
• Woodland Trust: Woodland Trust is a UK charity focused on woodland conservation, tree planting, and the protection of ancient woodland — directly overlapping the Association's woodland and reforestation work within National Landscapes. Shares a comparable charity structure, government/lottery funding mix, and volunteer-driven delivery model.
• RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds): RSPB is the UK's largest nature conservation charity with a similar charitable mission of protecting wildlife and habitats, government-funded reserves programme, and strong policy and advocacy function. Operates a comparable revenue mix of membership, donations, and government/lottery grants.

Broad incumbents

• National Trust: The National Trust is the UK's largest conservation charity, managing over 500 heritage properties, countryside, and coastline for public access and conservation. It is a broader, larger incumbent operating in adjacent nature/heritage stewardship space and offering comparable membership and donor-funded model.
• Natural England: Natural England is the UK Government's statutory advisor on the natural environment and a key funder/partner for National Landscapes. As a statutory body with regulatory authority over AONB/National Landscape designation, it is a broader incumbent shaping the Association's operating environment.

Emerging players

• National Parks Partnership: National Parks Partnership is a UK-wide partnership supporting England's 10 National Parks via commercial and marketing partnerships. Already co-hosting the inaugural Delivering for Nature forum with the Association, it is an emerging peer in adjacent protected-landscape stakeholder coordination.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks2 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@NatLandAssoc
• Facebookfacebook.com/natlandassoc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nationallandscapesassociation
• Instagraminstagram.com/natlandassoc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 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 National Landscapes Association