The South Downs National Park is the “economic powerhouse” of England’s protected landscapes, a major new independent study has shown.

With protected landscapes covering a quarter of England, the report shows the South Downs is the economic leader, with the highest GVA of £3.84 billion and hosting around a third of all businesses across the 10 English National Parks. Collectively, the National Parks bring almost £10bn GVA, bringing significant value to the nation’s economy.

The new study showed the South Downs experienced around 10 per cent growth in productivity since the Covid pandemic – higher than the wider South East area. This mirrors the CBI’s study which showed that the UK economy grew 0.4 per cent last year, while the green economy grew 10 per cent over the same period.

Ahead of the Autumn Budget and in light of mayoral elections across Hampshire and Sussex in 2026, the National Park Authority is calling for renewed support for rural economies and accelerated growth in the right areas. This includes turbocharging the green economy to fight biodiversity loss and promoting sustainability in the face of climate change.

The National Park Authority is also warning that the nation’s economy will shrink if we do not integrate nature into growth plans.

The South Downs National Park 2025 Economic Profile has been published today.

Siôn McGeever, Chief Executive of the South Downs National Park Authority, said: “This is a really significant study for us and shows that National Parks are bigger players in the UK economy than many realise – and we’re growing fast.

“It’s actually the manufacturing and knowledge-based technical sectors that are growing most quickly, challenging assumptions that Britain’s beautiful landscapes are purely about tourism and farming. This is partly fuelled by the fact that National Parks are places where people want to work and that enhance workers’ wellbeing.

“However, farmers continue to be the lifeblood of the South Downs National Park and many other rural economies. They’re struggling, so we’d like to see greater support to help them thrive, including expanding opportunities for innovation, diversification and nature-friendly farming.

“Nature-based solutions are a rapidly growing area in the National Park, where corporations and developers can invest in creating new woodlands, grasslands and wetlands that also help fight climate change, and ultimately it’s farmers and land managers who will deliver these. Without them we cannot deliver our nature targets and we cannot grow the food we need. So it’s really important that government policy continues to support these emerging markets.’

And Siôn added: “As a stark report by the Green Finance Institute identified, the UK faces economic shrinkage – by some 4.7 per cent within this decade – if we don’t integrate nature into our growth strategy. Here in the South Downs and across all protected landscapes, with our incredible green and blue infrastructure and brilliant partners, we have a huge opportunity to grow a nature-positive economy over the next few years. The green economy is growing quickly and National Parks are natural places for these booming sub-sectors, such as nature-friendly tourism, regenerative farming and climate solutions

“This new report has shown that economic wellbeing and enhancing nature can, and should, work in tandem and we’ve got a great foundation for future growth.”

Here are some key highlights from the study:

• Of all employment in English National Parks, 41 per cent is in the South Downs
• The South Downs National Park has more than double the amount of the next biggest National Park by GVA. The GVA of the South Downs makes up almost 40 per cent of English National Parks’ total GVA.
• There are almost 6,000 businesses in the South Downs National Park.
• The workforce of the National Park is around 61,000 people.
• The National Park is the second most visited in England – with around 19.2 million visitors and over 90 per cent being day visitors. The visitor economy generates over £400m for the region.
• Responsible Business is a growing trend. Since 2020, 18 businesses have become B Corp (a leading global business certification for social and environmental performance) in the South Downs, more than in any other National Park in the UK.
• Manufacturing employment has grown by around 50 per cent, led by expanding sectors such as sustainable food and drink.
• Land-based sectors, including farming, forestry, wine, and fishing deliver an estimated £67.9 million in direct Gross Value Added.
• Over 1,200 people work in professional and scientific service sectors, reflecting the National Park’s proximity to knowledge hubs, universities and international hubs such as Gatwick Airport, Newhaven and Shoreham.

Among the biggest growth areas for the National Park is landowners dedicating areas to nature restoration funded by the private sector. Over 120 acres of the Iford Estate, near Lewes – or 80 football pitches – have now been formally dedicated to nature recovery, thanks to two groundbreaking legal agreements with the National Park Authority. Among the investors have been King – the entertainment company behind the world-famous Candy Crush Franchise – and other businesses. Meanwhile, Halnaker Hill Farm, near Chichester, is one of the largest nature restoration projects in the UK. Around 330 acres of land is being restored to its natural condition centuries ago, with a rich mosaic of wildlife habitats including hedgerows, grassland, ponds, woodland and wildflower meadows.

Registered with South Downs National Park Authority and Natural England, the project is one of the largest single Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) land banks in the UK by number of BNG units available. It will provide a total of 856 units to be sold to both the mandatory and voluntary markets across the UK to help combat biodiversity loss and climate change.

The National Park Authority is currently in discussions with several landowners with a view to dedicating hundreds more hectares of land to creating new woodlands, wildflower meadows and wetlands that will be funded by businesses.

Find the economic profile here.

• GVA stands for Gross Value Added and is the measure of the value of goods and services produced in an area, industry or sector of an economy.
• Here is the estimated GVA for all National Parks in England.
• The Green Finance Institute estimates that UK’s GDP will be cut by 4.7 per cent by 2030 if nature is not incorporated into growth plans. See the full report here.
• The UK’s net zero economy now generates £83.1 billion in GVA and has grown 10 per cent in the past year. See the full report by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit here.