Biodiversity - Farmers and Land managers

How You Can Help Farmers & Land Managers
Key Actions: Commission a “Whole Farm Plan” to identify wildlife assets on the farm and how to manage them. Investigate incentive schemes such as Countryside Stewardship and the Woodland Grant Scheme, to improve the wildlife value of the farm. Reduce the use of fertilisers and pesticides.
Farmers and land managers are key to achieving and maintaining a rich and varied natural environment in Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull. As stewards of the majority of the local countryside they ultimately control the future of much of Warwickshire’s biodiversity. Farmers and landowners should aim to balance gaining a viable return from their land, with the responsibility to maintain the landscape and wildlife elements enjoyed by the rest of the community. This has never been an easy task and has become harder in recent times. The use in recent years of agri-environment measures, such as Countryside Stewardship, and woodland establishment and management grants has demonstrated that maintaining features which contribute to biodiversity and changes in management to benefit wildlife can be a viable part of running a successful farm. ‘The effects of agriculture are an important factor for over 50% of the species targeted in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan, especially the bees, ants and wasps (92%), birds (88%) and butterflies and moths (87%).’ Sustaining the Variety of Life – 5 years of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (DoE, March 2001)

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