Securing land for nature, for the long term
Conservation Covenants are a legal tool that enables landowners to protect the natural or heritage features of their land on a long-term basis.
Kent Wildlife Trust is a Defra-designated Responsible Body, one of a limited number of organisations in England able to enter into Conservation Covenant agreements with landowners. Adonis Blue Environmental Consultants, part of the Kent Wildlife Trust Group, is also independently designated as a Responsible Body. Together, this gives landowners and organisations across England a trusted route into Conservation Covenants, backed by significant conservation expertise and delivered at national scale.
What is a Conservation Covenant?
A Conservation Covenant is a voluntary, legally binding agreement between a landowner and a Responsible Body, made for a conservation purpose and for the benefit of the public.
In practice, this means agreeing to do — or refrain from doing — certain things on the land in question. Common examples include:
- Managing a woodland, meadow or wetland in a specified way
- Restricting the use of certain pesticides or intensive land practices
- Allowing habitat to establish and remain undisturbed
- Providing public access to a site of natural or heritage value
Once agreed, a Conservation Covenant is registered as a local land charge. This means the obligations bind not only the current landowner but also future owners of the land, allowing the protections put in place to endure well beyond a single ownership. Covenants may run for a fixed term or in perpetuity, depending on what is agreed.
Why might a landowner consider one?
What does a Responsible Body do?
Only organisations designated by Defra may act as a Responsible Body. It is a role that carries significant responsibility: Responsible Bodies must monitor, and where necessary enforce, the obligations agreed in each covenant for the lifetime of the agreement, which may be indefinite.
As a Responsible Body, our role includes:
- Working with landowners to agree terms that deliver genuine conservation benefit
- Registering the covenant as a local land charge
- Monitoring the land over the life of the agreement
- Taking action where obligations are not being met, up to and including legal enforcement
A Conservation Covenant is only as valuable as the confidence placed in it being upheld, and we take that responsibility seriously.
Working with other Wildlife Trusts and conservation organisations
Not every organisation with an interest in Conservation Covenants will hold Responsible Body status themselves, and not every organisation that does will want to take on the monitoring and enforcement obligations that come with every agreement. We work with other Wildlife Trusts and conservation organisations in a number of ways: as the designated Responsible Body on agreements delivered in partnership, as a source of expertise on Covenant design, and as a sounding board for organisations considering whether to pursue Responsible Body status themselves. Given our national reach, we're well placed to support agreements beyond Kent, including on land connected to your own organisation's work.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Conservation Covenants are private agreements, distinct from statutory designations such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. They can complement these designations, or protect land that falls outside any formal designation altogether.
No. The landowner retains ownership throughout. A Conservation Covenant restricts or directs how the land is used — it does not transfer ownership.
Yes, this is increasingly common, particularly where a covenant supports Biodiversity Net Gain, carbon sequestration, nutrient neutrality or similar schemes. Payment terms are agreed as part of the covenant itself.
This is agreed between the landowner and the Responsible Body. Covenants may run for a fixed period or indefinitely. Where a Covenant is intended to support off-site biodiversity gain for a development, it will typically need to last at least 30 years.
The Covenant remains with the land rather than the individual owner. It binds successors in title, so the agreed conservation commitments continue under any future owner.
Freeholders, and leaseholders with a lease of seven years or more, may enter into a Conservation Covenant with a Responsible Body.