BASC Wildlife Fund supports landmark wildfire mitigation project in Bowland

The BASC Wildlife Fund has awarded a £10,000 grant to support a new landscape-scale wildfire mitigation initiative across the Forest of Bowland National Landscape.

The funding will contribute to a comprehensive risk assessment led by Incendium Wildfire Solutions, working with the Bowland Wildfire Group of Landowners (BWGL). The final report will cover an area of approximately 69,500 acres (28,125 hectares) of moorland, including approximately 48,000 acres (19,425 hectares) of private land within Bowland. The findings will also help to shape future wildfire resilience strategies for other upland areas in the UK.

The Bowland Massif Wildfire Risk Mitigation Project will identify high-risk areas across the region’s moorlands and propose management tools tailored to evolving climate models and weather patterns. These insights aim to better protect the nationally important moorland habitats of the Forest of Bowland National Landscape, which support vital biodiversity and upland rural livelihoods.

The importance of the project is underlined by the potential for catastrophic damage to the UK’s upland areas caused by wildfire. As of 12 August 2025, fire and rescue services in England and Wales had responded to 856 wildfire incidents this year alone. This is a 663 per cent increase on last year, and a 33 per cent increase on the same period in 2022, which until this year broke all records for the number of wildfires tackled by fire and rescue crews.

As part of the agreement, BWGL will collaborate closely with BASC to promote the project’s outcomes and ensure wide engagement across conservation, government and sporting sectors.

A BWGL representative said: “This project is the first time we’ve been able to look at wildfire risk across the Forest of Bowland at this scale and with this level of detail. It’s a collaborative effort between landowners and wildfire experts, and the insights we gain will help us make better-informed decisions to manage and protect the moorland landscape now and into the future.

“We’re very grateful to the BASC Wildlife Fund for backing the project. Having the support of the fund has been essential in getting this ambitious project off the ground.”

Alex Farrell, BASC’s head of uplands, said: “This project represents a crucial step forward in proactive wildfire prevention. By bringing together landowners, wildfire specialists and conservation partners, we can better safeguard these iconic landscapes from increasing fire risk while maintaining their ecological and social value.”

The BASC Wildlife Fund grant forms part of a wider £41,000 funding package for the project. BWGL will also provide annual impact updates over the next five years, ensuring long-term accountability and adaptive land management.

Find out more about how you can get support from the BASC Wildlife Fund, or make a donation, here.