Proposed budget cuts to England’s most treasured landscapes pose an “existential threat,” warn managers of the National Landscapes Association.

These 46 regions, including iconic areas such as the Chilterns, Cotswolds, Wye Valley, and North Pennines, were recently renamed “national landscapes” and encompass 15% of England, including 20% of its coastline. However, concerns are mounting over their future as funding uncertainties loom.

The environment secretary, Steve Reed, has yet to confirm the budget for these landscapes, and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) faces a 2% cut in its overall spending budget for 2025-26. National landscapes are expected to shoulder a disproportionate 12% reduction.

Sarah Gibson, the manager of the Tamar Valley national landscape, said: “We are being told we have to prepare for budget cuts. Funding for national landscapes is woefully inadequate. We are under significant pressure from degrading nature, development and decreasing funding. But we are charged with providing nature recovery.”

She said in an impossible situation, the valley was facing a 20% reduction in core services as a result of proposed budget cuts.

Earlier this month, national park leaders warned their sites could become “paper parks,” lacking essential services like visitor centres and rangers. National landscapes are at even greater risk, as they cover nearly twice the area of national parks and face more pressure from farming and development. Despite their legal parity, they receive just 16% of the funding allocated to national parks and have endured over 40% in budget cuts since 2010.

Gibson said: “It’s not enough to accept these places can just carry on unprotected. It’s really important to the communities that we look after these places. At the Tamar Valley we have 17 special species that we are safeguarding and doing more work to protect like the greater horseshoe bat, salmon, dormouse, marsh fritillary butterfly.”

John Watkins, the chief executive of the National Landscapes Association, said: “Government has high expectations of National Landscapes as the backbone of nature recovery to meet its international commitments and legal targets. But the situation has never been more dire.”

These landscapes house fragile ecosystems, including degraded peatlands, eroding coastlines, and ancient woodlands, all requiring restoration and protection. Without sufficient funding, efforts to manage these areas and halt biodiversity loss will stall. Many landscape teams operate with minimal staff, and further cuts would hinder their ability to secure external funding or carry out essential nature restoration work.

The National Landscapes Association is urging the government to maintain the current £35 million annual funding for national landscapes partnerships, which supports vital initiatives like the “Farming in Protected Landscapes” scheme. This program helps farmers adopt more sustainable, nature-friendly practices and is crucial for overgrazed areas. Additionally, the association seeks an extra £11 million annually to rebuild capacity and ensure landscapes can meet legally binding targets under the Environment Act, which requires the government to halt nature’s decline by 2030.

“National landscapes are at crisis point,” said Watkins, emphasising the urgent need for renewed commitment and investment to safeguard these irreplaceable environments for future generations.

Watkins said: “Twenty-five years ago, the New Labour government was advised by the Countryside Commission to increase funding for national landscapes to £19m [£35m in today’s money], but they didn’t heed that advice. Twenty-five years later, we are in the same situation with a new Labour government, but with the threat of further cuts in the face of a nature and climate crisis. We are calling on the government to truly invest in nature.”

A Defra spokesperson said: “Our national landscapes, alongside national parks, play an important role and we will empower these special places to become greener, wilder and more accessible. We are currently considering the best approach and will work closely with the National Landscapes Association on this.”