CRPR Seminar: Sam Bridgewater: Landscape Recovery: Reflections from the Front Line

Please note this is a hybrid event.  Please contact CRPR@exeter.ac.uk for the Teams link.

In 2024, the East Devon Heaths to Sea project secured £750,000 from the UK government’s Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) to develop a landscape-scale nature restoration initiative under the government’s flagship Landscape Recovery Programme. Based in the Lower Otter catchment, the project explores how large-scale nature recovery — contributing to the government’s 30x30 nature target — can be delivered within a working landscape that also supports food production, timber, and recreation. Following two years of development, final proposals were submitted in March 2026 and the project is currently in the programme’s assurance phase. The proposals combine requests for government support with emerging opportunities for green finance.

This talk will share candid reflections from the front line of developing a landscape recovery project - highlighting the challenges, unexpected hurdles, and lessons learned along the way - and offer practical insights on how to navigate the process while keeping momentum and optimism intact.

Bio:

Dr Sam Bridgewater, Director of Environment Strategy at Clinton Devon Estates, leads the Heaths to Sea project. His role focuses on ensuring that the protection and enhancement of wildlife and natural habitats are embedded across all aspects of estate management and decision-making. Prior to joining the Estate, he worked as a researcher at the Natural History Museum and previously at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh.