T R A D I T I O N A LF A R M I N Gin the modern environment

T R A D I T I O N A LF A R M I N Gin the modern environment

T H E C O U N T R Y S I D E S T E W A R D S H I P S C H E M ET H E C O U N T R Y S I D E S T E W A R D S H I P S C H E M E

What is CountrysideStewardship?• The Government’s principal scheme for

conserving and improving the countryside.

Farmers are paid grants to follow moretraditional farming methods that enhance thelandscape, encourage wildlife and protecthistorical features.

Why do we need it?The traditional English landscapes and featureswe all love are largely the result of farming overthe last few hundred years. Features such as stonewalls or barns, once very important to farmers,are now part of our heritage. But modernmethods of farming are changing the landscape,and some landscape features have been lost.

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IntroductionTraditional farming systems also provided

good conditions for a rich diversity of wildlife.Modern techniques have, to a large extent,destroyed these conditions and reduced thediversity of wildlife. Some species have, as aresult, become much more dependent onuncultivated land, such as moorland.

Nowadays, we are more aware of how farmingshapes the countryside. We appreciate the widevariety of landscapes and the rich diversity ofwildlife that live in them. We want to conserveand improve this heritage, and the farmingindustry is keen to help.

By conserving our countryside in this way, wenot only help our wildlife, we also play our partin the international agreement to maintain thenatural diversity of animals and plantsthroughout the world.

European Otter in Norfolk European Otter in Norfolk

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History andDevelopment

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs(DEFRA).

How does it work?Stewardship is one of two complementaryenvironmentally friendly schemes, both ofwhich aim to conserve important wildlife,landscape and historic features of the

How did itstart?CountrysideStewardship began asa five-year pilotproject to see iffarmers would, inreturn for payments,make changes totheir landmanagementpractices that wouldhelp restore the lossof important habitatsand features. Thepilot scheme was setup by theCountrysideCommission (nowthe CountrysideAgency). It wasextremely popularand successful.

Following an independent evaluation, thescheme was transferred to the Ministry ofAgriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) in1996. As a Government Department, MAFFwas better placed to provide the resourcesneeded as Stewardship expanded. MAFF hasnow been replaced by the Department for

HedgerowHedgerow

countryside. The other scheme isEnvironmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs) whichconserves 22 nationally important areas, suchas the Lake District. Stewardship operates inthose areas of England outside ESAs.

Stewardship aims to conserve a range oftraditional countryside landscapes and features by:

◗ sustaining the beauty and diversity of thelandscape

◗ improving and extending wildlife habitats

◗ conserving archaeological sites andhistoric features

◗ improving opportunities for enjoying thecountryside

◗ restoring neglected land or features

◗ creating new habitats and landscapes

Each county has specific targets for thelandscape types and features that are importantwithin their area. Priorities and objectives forparticular areas are agreed with partnerorganisations such as English Nature, theFarming and Wildlife Advisory Group and theNational Parks.

Anyone who owns or manages land canapply for Stewardship, including voluntarybodies and local authorities. But since thebudget is limited, only those applications thatoffer the best environmental value for moneycan be accepted. On acceptance intoStewardship, a ten-year agreement is made tomanage the land in an environmentallyfriendly way in return for payment.

Stewardship is now one of ten schemes toprotect the environment and support the ruraleconomy and communities. These schemes areoperated as part of the England RuralDevelopment Programme. The ten schemes are:

◗ Countryside Stewardship Scheme

◗ Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme

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◗ Organic Farming Scheme

◗ Farm Woodland Premium Scheme

◗ Woodland Grant Scheme

◗ Hill Farm Allowance Scheme

◗ Rural Enterprise Scheme

◗ Vocational Training Scheme

◗ Energy Crops Scheme

◗ Processing & Marketing Grants Scheme

What sort of work isinvolved?All types of conservation work are involved – such asrestoring an old orchard, rebuilding a dry stone wall,regenerating a hedgerow, managing a hay meadow,creating an uncropped margin alongside a field ofgrowing crops and providing wildlife habitats.Stewardship also provides new opportunities forwalkers, schools, etc to visit farmland. Paymentsdepend on the type of land management agreedand range from £4 to £525 per hectare.

How will I recogniseStewardship land?Gold-coloured plaques are displayed at most siteentrances. Where access is provided, you willsee a map displayed at the entry point.

Who runs the scheme?DEFRA’s Rural Development Service (RDS),based at DEFRA offices in the regions.

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Landscape types an

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Stone curlewThere are now more nesting

sites for one of Britain’s rarest

birds that lives on chalk

downland – the stone curlew –

whose numbers are now

gradually recovering.

d features

BitternSuitable nesting sites have been created

for another of Britain’s rare birds – the

bittern. This is a heron-like bird that

needs a particular type of reedbed.

We have identified six landscape types andfive landscape features that are important toour heritage.

Landscape typesTraditional farming methods varied, dependingon the type of land being farmed. Overthousands of years, different agriculturalpractices have created different landscape types.

Chalk and limestonegrasslandThis grassland forms our typical downlandlandscapes. It needs traditional grazing and carefulcontrol of scrub and weeds. These areas are rich inarchaeology, wildflowers and butterflies.

Waterside landThese areas are important as nesting grounds forwading birds and wildfowl and as places wherepeople enjoy walking and picnicking. The areasneed careful management to make the best useof their special character. Water quality instreams, rivers and ditches must be protected,particularly where fish live and breed.

Coastal areasLarge numbers of visitors are attracted tocoastal areas for bird watching, walking,picnicking or enjoying the sea. Stewardship canconserve the beauty through traditional grazingand help by providing more footpaths, picnicareas and viewpoints.

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Lowland heathThese are ancient landscapes on acidic, sandyand peaty soils, which have been created bypast management systems. They need scrub andbracken control, and need to be grazed. Theyare important for some rare species – and fortheir feeling of wilderness.

UplandThis includes open heather moorland, flower-rich meadows, walls and hedges, small woodedglens and many prehistoric field systems. Lessintensive farming methods are vital to conservethese features and their wildlife.

Old meadows and pasturesThese are valuable, but threatened, habitats. Theyinclude hay meadows, which support a rich mix of

grasses and flowers, and unimproved pastures,important for plants, butterflies and other insects.The small fields and associated hedges, trees andponds are reminders of an earlier age and somecontain archaeological remains.

Landscape featuresAs traditional farming practices shaped ourlandscapes, they also added attractive andinteresting features.

Historic featuresThousands of years of agricultural activity canbe seen in the pattern of farms and fields, andthe large number of archaeological features inthe countryside. These are all vulnerable tolandscape change, either from agriculture ordevelopment.

TwiteUpland farmers have been helped to provide the

correct habitat for the twite – a rare British bird

and one of only two species in this country

feeding its young entirely on seeds. The birds

need a mixture of habitats in the uplands: flower-

rich meadows to provide feed and well maintained

heather for nesting. Stewardship pays farmers to

leave the meadows uncut and to keep heather in

good condition.

10-Old Orchards

Old orchardsSmall traditional orchards with widely spacedtrees are valuable for their contribution to locallandscapes and their links with local history.They also support a variety of wildflowers,lichens, insects, and birds such as owls andwoodpeckers. The trees are old and are oftenscarce varieties of apple, pear, cherry, plum ordamson. They can also be cider or perry orchardsor cobnut platts and may be in commercial use.

Field boundariesThese include stone walls and hedgerows,which can:

◗ mark ancient boundaries

◗ indicate past land uses and field systems

◗ be the oldest visible feature

◗ provide nest sites for birds

◗ shelter mosses, flowers, trees and shrubs.

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Stone wallsOver 700 miles of dry stone walls have been

restored – enough to stretch from John

O’Groats to Land’s End.

Field boundaries can be restored by managementwhich:

◗ follows traditional practices – likemaintaining hedges by hand

◗ reflects local customs

◗ uses local materials

◗ is sensitive to wildlife and landscapes

Stewardship can help by:

◗ rebuilding walls

◗ replacing stone facings

◗ regenerating hedgerows and hedge trees

Arable landArable, or crop growing, land is found mainly inEast Anglia, the Vale of York and the southerndownlands and also as part of mixed farmingsystems in middle and southwest England.

In these areas modern farming systems havecontributed to:

◗ declining numbers and varieties of flowersand plants

◗ declining numbers of birds and mammals

◗ damage to some archaeological sites.

Stewardship can help by:

◗ creating wildlife habitats such asuncropped, grassy field margins

◗ creating wildlife habitats beside rivers andstreams

◗ restoring boundaries of fields

◗ establishing grass strips to protect areassuch as field boundaries and ponds fromfarming operations

◗ managing crop edges to encourage insectsand flowers

◗ creating new public access such as walks,rides and lanes.

Grassy marginsAround 8,000 miles of grass

margins have been established –

a haven for a wide variety of

wildlife and plants.

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Countryside around townsLarge numbers of people can benefit fromimprovements to the landscape and to thevariety of wildlife in these areas.

Stewardship can help by:

◗ creating new habitats

◗ restoring hedgerows, ponds and trees

◗ creating new public access such asfootpaths, bridleways and play areas.

Stewardship can be particularly helpful to theCommunity Forest projects that were initiatedin 1989. The aim of Community Forests is toprovide natural open space on the edges ofmajor towns and cities. The environmentalimprovements are creating a rich mosaic ofwooded landscape, farmland, nature areas andpublic open space.

HedgerowsOver 6,000 miles of

hedgerows have been restored

– enough to stretch from here

to Japan, or across the Atlantic

and back.

ProvWhat is access?One of the aims of Stewardship is to improve opportunities forenjoying the countryside by providing new public access tofarmland, and for walks, picnics and games.

How does it work?At the entrances to Stewardship sites you will see a map displayed,giving details of the area available to the public. Other access isalso provided for educational groups. They are free of charge, andoffer a wide range of opportunities – coastal walks to see a historicmonument, walks on the edge of a town, through traditionalfarming systems or to see modern farming adapted for conservation.Many will have some special features such as old stone walls orinteresting wildlife. Footpaths

Over 700 miles of

permissive footpaths

have been provided

for the enjoyment of

the public – enough

to stretch from

Land’s End to John

O’Groats.

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How can I find out more?• Details of access in each county are available free of charge

from DEFRA HQ, local libraries, Tourist Information Centresand local authority countryside and highways departments.

Or you can visit the DEFRA Conservation Walks websitewww.countrywalks.org.uk

Educational accessThis promotes the use, enjoyment and study ofthe countryside by students – from primaryschool age to postgraduate research. There are agreat variety of access sites, which are mainlyfound on working farms, and they all provideexamples of how conservation work can becarried out as part of a farm business. You canfind out more on the DEFRA ConservationWalks website www.countrywalks.org.uk

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iding access

The future

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There are around 14,000 farmers and land managersin Stewardship and the number continues to grow.And there is even more money available – £500million over the next six years. Over this time, it isplanned to add more than half a million hectares ofland to the Scheme and more than treble theexisting number of ‘Stewards’, so many moreimportant areas and habitats will be included.

This means that we shall see more and moreimprovements to our landscape, and know that

we are conserving our heritage. And we shallhave greater opportunity to enjoy the richnessof our countryside and the diversity of ourwildlife.

To make sure the money is well spent,Stewardship is independently monitored andevaluated. The reports are available on theDEFRA website

www.defra.gov.uk

To find out about DEFRA Conservation Walks,you can ask for copies of the ConservationWalks Access Register for your county from:

DEFRACountryside Stewardship BranchRoom G15Nobel House17 Smith SquareLondon SW1P 3JR

Tel: 020 7238 6907Fax: 020 7238 6058

or visit: www.countrywalks.org.uk

There is also a wealth of information onStewardship and other schemes on the DEFRAwebsite www.defra.gov.uk

Or you can contact your DEFRA regional office:

Reading – South East Rural Development ServiceRoom 221DEFRAColey ParkReadingRG1 6DTTel: 0118 958 1222

Nottingham – East MidlandsRural Development ServiceDEFRABlock 7Government BuildingsChalfont DriveNottinghamNG8 3SNTel: 0115 929 1191

Cambridge – EastRural Development ServiceDEFRABlock BGovernment BuildingsBrooklands AvenueCambridgeCB2 2DRTel: 01223 45 27 27

Worcester – West MidlandsRural Development Service DEFRABlock BGovernment BuildingsWhittington RoadWorcester WR5 2LQTel: 01905 763355

Newcastle – North EastRural Development Service DEFRAGovernment BuildingsKenton BarNewcastle upon TyneNE5 3EWTel: 0191 286 3377

Crewe – North WestRural Development Service DEFRAElectra WayCreweCheshireCW1 6GJTel: 01270 75 4000

Leeds – Yorks and the HumberRural Development Service DEFRAGovernment BuildingsOtley RoadLawnswoodLeedsLS16 5QTTel: 0113 230 3750

Bristol – South WestRural Development ServiceDEFRAWestbury-on-TrymBristolBS10 6NJTel: 0117 959 1000

If you want to know more or are interested inapplying for a stewardship grant you can ask foran information pack on:

◗ The Countryside Stewardship Scheme(and how to apply)

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Further information

www.defra.gov.ukProduced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

© Crown copyright 2001. PB 5728July 2001