Championing a coast that works for everyone
Working across the space where land meets sea, we connect people, ideas and investment to help unlock the full potential of our coast.
A national initiative for people and nature
Coastal Wildbelt was established in 2024 by National Trails UK, with support from Defra through the Protected Landscapes Partnership, to explore how this opportunity can be realised.
Working with more than 100 organisations from across England, Coastal Wildbelt brings together people, projects, ideas and investment in a shared effort to unlock the full potential of our coast.
A once-in-a-generation opportunity
With the completion of the King Charles III England Coast Path, England's coastline can now be accessed and experienced as one connected place for the first time in history.
This creates a unique opportunity to think differently about our coast – not as a series of separate places, but as one connected landscape where people, nature and communities can thrive together.
Connecting local action into a national movement
Across the coastline, brilliant work is already happening.
Coastal Wildbelt helps connect these efforts into something bigger by sharing learning, building evidence, attracting investment and championing projects that can inspire action elsewhere.
By working together in this way, we can create a coast that works better for people and nature than ever before.
A shared effort across our coast
Coastal Wildbelt connects the people already shaping our coast, from local projects and landowners to national organisations, funders and communities.
We also unify interests as diverse as tourism, energy, culture, heritage, sport, conservation and business, which helps create opportunities that no single organisation could manage alone.
By bringing these voices together across the whole coast, we help ideas, knowledge and opportunity flow more freely, allowing the brilliant work happening in one place to inspire and strengthen action elsewhere, turning local effort into national impact.
We connect
We bring people, projects and ideas together, linking local action into a shared national effort.
We coordinate
We bring together partners, priorities and resources to deliver coordinated action and greater impact.
We inspire
We unlock the support, funding and collaboration that turns brilliant ideas into real difference across our coast.
A coast under pressure. A coast full of potential
Nature is in crisis and we face a climate emergency. Coastal communities are under growing social and economic pressure, while more people are becoming disconnected from nature and the wellbeing it supports.
Across the coast, people and organisations are already working hard to meet these challenges. But too often, effort, investment and expertise stay fragmented across places, sectors and competing priorities, limiting our collective impact.
The Coastal Wildbelt wrapping our shores offers one of our greatest opportunities to change this. Stretching around England, it brings people, places and nature together. Already much-loved in national life, it could become something even greater
By working together at a national scale, we can restore nature, improve access, strengthen climate resilience, support local economies and create happier, healthier places where more people experience the wonders of our coast.
How we work
Coastal Wildbelt connects people, projects and ideas across England's coast, helping unlock investment, encourage collaboration and show what the coast can offer for people, nature and communities alike.
Our aim is simple: to help restore nature, improve access and strengthen coastal communities.
We support the brilliant work already happening around our coastline, working closely with local partners, landowners and communities, and drawing on local knowledge and experience. We are looking to identify opportunities, build evidence, share learning and turn good ideas into practical solutions that deliver lasting change.
Our role is to bring people together, connect ideas and help great projects go further. The projects themselves are led by the partners and communities already working on the ground. We bring people together, share learning, coordinate action, unlock funding and champion success – helping local ideas grow and deliver national impact.
What we do
- Bring partners together around shared opportunities
- Unlock funding, support and investment
- Build and share evidence that drives action
- Connect local projects into a bigger national picture
- Champion the coast as one connected place
What this looks like
- Uniting people from different sectors and interests
- Connecting policymakers, funders, landowners and delivery partners
- Sharing knowledge, evidence and lessons from across the coast
- Building capacity for local and regional action
- Raising awareness of the coast and the opportunities it offers
This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to connect people, place and nature all along this special place.
Complex Challenges
Our coast faces complex, shared challenges; from wild and rural spaces to industrial and urban coastlines. No single organisation can address them alone.
Working together
By connecting people, organisations and ideas across the entire coastline, we can unlock opportunities, partnerships and investment on a scale never seen before.
Greater impact
When people and nature thrive together, the whole coast benefits, creating healthier communities, richer habitats and places valued and protected for generations.
Help shape our coast
Whether you are shaping policy, supporting projects or making a difference on the ground, Coastal Wildbelt helps connect your work into something bigger.
Together, we can unlock the full potential of our coast for people, nature and communities. Explore how you can get involved.
For policy makers
Champion Coastal Wildbelt as a shared national effort, connecting policies across nature recovery, wellbeing, access, climate resilience and coastal communities to deliver joined-up impact.
For funders
Back the people and ideas creating real change along our coast by supporting projects and partnerships that deliver lasting impact for nature, communities and local economies right around our coastline.
For delivery partners
Join a connected network that shares knowledge, builds evidence and learns together, helping unleash the extraordinary potential of our wonderful coast for nature and communities alike.
Our vision in action
Find out more about the amazing projects, partnerships and people who are bringing the coastal wildbelt to life. See how what they are doing now along the coast is making a real difference for us all – and be inspired to get involved.
Get involved — stay connected
Whether you’re shaping policy, supporting projects, delivering locally or simply curious about the coast, we can keep you connected to the Coastal Wildbelt and the amazing opportunities it offers.