Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what acreage of land in England is owned by conservation bodies; and which bodies own such acreage.

Natural England is the statutory nature conservation body in England.

There are currently 224 National Nature Reserves (NNRs) in England, with an approximate area of 94,000 hectares. Natural England manages in whole or in part 143 NNRs, with a total area of approximately 65,000 hectares. Of these, Natural England owns about 20,000 hectares, leases about 30,000 hectares, and manages about 15,000 hectares under Nature Reserve Agreements. The remainder are managed by 53 'Approved Bodies' (organisations approved by Natural England to manage NNRs under Section 35 Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981). Almost all NNRs are Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) (over 99% by area) and 84% is designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Areas (SPA), or both.

Defra does not hold information on individual land ownership outside the government estate, although many environmental non-government organisations are open about the size of their land holdings. For example, the National Trust and the RSPB, both of whom own significant area of land, publish data and maps of their reserve boundaries across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The public forest estate in England, which is managed by Forest Enterprise England (an executive agency sponsored by the Forestry Commission), covers over 250,000 hectares and is managed for multiple purposes, including conservation.