About the Centre

We seek to provide knowledge and tools to regenerate the British countryside using cost-effective nature-based solutions that harness the power of ecosystems to provide broad societal benefits including biodiversity recovery as well as climate mitigation and adaptation.

The Centre for Landscape Regeneration is supported by the UKRI NERC Changing the Environment Programme, to tackle key challenges facing the UK as it adapts to climate change and moves to net zero emissions.

We are an interdisciplinary research centre led by the University of Cambridge in collaboration with our Partners.  The centre is co-led by Professor David Coomes, Director of the Conservation Research Institute, and Professor Emily Shuckburgh OBE, Director of Cambridge Zero.

The Centre for Landscape Regeneration serves as a dynamic collaborative research hub:

Fostering research across a wide spectrum of fields, ranging from archaeology to zoology and encompassing diverse disciplines such as computer science, chemistry, geography, land economy, sociology, public health, and more.

• 34 co-investigators
• 14 University depts
• 20 early career researchers so far & 4 PhD students
• Focussed on 3 iconic UK landscapes- the Cambridgeshire Fens, the Lake District and the Cairngorms.
• Over 40 field sites in the Cambridgeshire Fens so far
• A growing community of stakeholder partners

Our researchers work closely with farmers, landowners, conservation groups, policy makers and local communities to address ecological threats such as extinction, flooding, drought and pollution, with an emphasis on whole systems approaches and taking a holistic, long-term view that encompasses the whole ecology of a region.

Challenges:

Implementing sustainable landscapes at meaningful scales is difficult, as progress remains uncertain until we explore the financial, institutional, and social barriers that can obstruct transformative change.

Opportunities:

For each landscape, we will work with stakeholders to:

• Research and quantify the advantages of protecting & restoring nature
• Engage in transparent discussions on potential trade-offs
• Assess the services & disservices of alternative land uses
• Explore incentives for long-term conservation, restoration, and regeneration

The Centre will apply a breadth of expertise in a comprehensive whole-system analysis by providing knowledge and tools to deliver successful landscape regeneration for a sustainable future for the regions.