The Evenlode Landscape Recovery Project has begun work on the ground, marking an important milestone for nature recovery in the Cotswolds and beyond. After years of careful planning and collaboration, this ambitious initiative has now moved from design into real action across the land.
Spanning more than 3,000 hectares across the Evenlode catchment, the project is pioneering a landscape-scale approach to enhancing biodiversity, improving water quality, and building resilience to flooding — all while keeping farms productive and viable.
What makes this project truly stand out is that it’s farmer-led – it is the first project to ever be led by a farming cluster. Managed by the North East Cotswold Farmer Cluster CIC, it brings together over 50 land managers and tenant farmers working collaboratively towards a shared vision for healthier land, cleaner rivers and thriving wildlife.
Supported by Natural England and other partners, these landholders are dedicating 10 to 15% of less productive ground to restoration measures like wetlands, woodland creation and improved river-floodplain connectivity.
A crucial part of the project’s success was the application stage - and that’s where we, Just Farm, played a key role. Our founder Edward Earnshaw, served as the farm advice lead and, with our wider team, was instrumental in preparing the successful bid to secure funding and Defra support for the landscape recovery work.
The interventions planned under this Landscape Recovery scheme will help keep soils productive, reduce erosion and soil loss into watercourses, and create space for rare and threatened species such as water voles and fen violet to flourish. More than just ecological restoration, it’s about reshaping how agricultural land contributes to environmental health and community resilience.
As work gets underway across the valley, the Evenlode Landscape Recovery Project promises to be a beacon for future collaborative nature recovery efforts - demonstrating the powerful impact of farmers, scientists and communities working together.
