Reflections on the Wild Summit 2026

The Wild Summit 2026 was held at Bristol Beacon on 9 September 2026, hosted by Wildlife and Countryside Link and its CEO, Richard Benwell. Nicole Valentinova, a Senior Associate in our Real Estate team, attended this landmark gathering. 

The event brought together organisations and individuals – including campaigners, policymakers, scientists and community organisers – with a shared purpose to turn ambition into action for nature's recovery.

Our key takeaways from the Wild Summit 2026 are set out in this article.

Nature-friendly farming 

The cost of intensive farming

As noted in our latest quarterly Estates and Land Farming & Agriculture Horizon Gazing Report, a dedicated Poultry Sector Growth Plan has been confirmed as a 2026 focus area. Speaking at the Wild Summit, the Global Director of Campaigns and Advocacy for Compassion in World Farming highlighted how those involved with the expansion of the poultry sector and wider food production industry must carefully manage risks relating to climate change, biodiversity, and public health.

Intensive farming, in the poultry industry and beyond, carries huge costs for wildlife and habitats in the UK. Shifting land use away from intensive livestock feed and high-emission sectors toward plant proteins like home-grown pulses will help the UK meet its climate and net-zero targets. 

Nature-friendly farming is imperative for the sustainable development of the food production industry; combining farming with a land management style that consciously prioritises biodiversity is essential to provide food security without compromising on issues such as climate impact, habitat loss, and animal and human health and welfare. 

Conservation covenants

Conservation covenants could be a key factor in progressing nature-friendly farming in England. Introduced under Part 7 of the Environment Act 2021, these covenants create obligations on landowners and designated “Responsible Bodies” to conserve specified environmental features on a plot of land. Conservation covenants can relate, for example, to maintenance and/or restoration of wetland, peatland or grassland habitats, or to biodiversity net gain (BNG) obligations. Entering into a conservation covenant agreement is voluntary, but once agreed, the covenants must be registered on the appropriate local land charges register and can bind successors in title to the relevant land.

For specific information on conservation covenant agreements, please contact Ross Simpson ([email protected]) or Emma Folkes ([email protected]) from our Rural and Strategic Land Team. 

Bristol’s journey to designation as the UK’s first wetland city

With Burges Salmon’s office located on the waterfront adjacent to Bristol’s Floating Harbour, we were fascinated to hear about Bristol's journey to become the UK's first accredited Wetland City. This ambitious five-year initiative is being led by the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust with the support of Bristol City Council, the West of England Combined Authority, Aviva, and a host of local charities and community groups.

Ramsar accreditation and planning implications

If this initiative is successful, Bristol will receive Ramsar accreditation recognising its commitment to the maintenance, restoration and creation of wetland habitats. Ramsar certification brings extra considerations for land and property developments; where developments can affect a Ramsar site, either by immediate proximity or by waterway connections, local authorities may scrutinise proposals more closely and extra ecological assessment may be required as part of due diligence. This is especially true as of May 2026, when the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 brought Ramsar sites under the statutory protection regime set out in the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017.

Increasing climate resilience

Building wetland habitats into the city will make Bristol neighbourhoods more resilient to the increasingly destructive impacts of climate change and extreme weather and will also help to purify polluted water systems and provide increased habitats for a wide range of wildlife. Despite all these benefits, there are currently only 74 Ramsar-accredited Wetland Cities in the world, spread across 27 countries, and none in the UK – but Bristol is hoping to be the first.

The concept of tree equity

Measuring green space

A key topic discussed was the Woodland Trust's concept of the "tree equity score". The Woodland Trust, in partnership with the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare and the non-profit organisation American Forests, has introduced on its website a Tree Equity Score Tool which can calculate a score for any given area in the UK by comparing tree canopy cover against climate, health and socioeconomic data. The further a score sits away from 100 (which demonstrates tree equity in the specified area), the greater the need for increased tree coverage.

Urban tree cover

The benefits of trees in urban areas are plentiful for human health and welfare, natural ecosystems, and biodiversity. Rising global temperatures, as demonstrated by the Met Office’s designation of the summer of 2026 as the UK’s hottest on record, will make canopy cover in cities even more crucial; green spaces and areas with ample tree cover in Bristol have been shown to be almost 5 degrees cooler than areas without. Trees can also reduce air pollution, reduce stress, anxiety and depression, and help to manage noise levels in cities, all of which will make areas with a higher percentage of tree canopy cover more attractive as places to live and work.

Tree equity and the future of development:

Given this, it may be that local planning authorities will increasingly favour development proposals that maintain or increase tree cover in urban areas, especially in those areas with a lower tree equity score. Seeking to deliver environmental and social benefits through the use and development of land, in both urban and rural areas, may well be a factor instrumental to future real estate projects in Bristol and beyond.

Conclusion

The Wild Summit 2026 highlighted both the challenges facing nature recovery and the opportunities for collaboration across sectors to deliver change. As environmental considerations continue to influence land use, planning, and development, these themes are likely to remain at the forefront of the built environment agenda for landowners, developers, businesses, and policymakers in the years ahead. 

This article was written by Freya Whittaker (Trainee Solicitor) and Nicole Valentinova (Senior Associate).