Guidance

Project plans of successful Facilitation Fund groups in 2023

Published 26 June 2023

Applies to England

North Tyne Farmers Group: CSFF 010017

Group objectives

1. To form a farmer-led group that will involve and encourage a number of farm holdings of differing sizes.

2. To collaborate and create a landscape scale opportunity allowing long term engagement with positive, higher quality environmental outcomes whilst creating a local support network.

This will be achieved by educating, upskilling and sharing knowledge amongst the members and stakeholders from within the focus area that will include farmers, foresters and land managers.

Through Countryside Stewardship (CS), they will incorporate best practice methods to achieve targets as set out in Defra’s 25-year environment plan through the delivery of various CS Priorities as stated in the National Character Area NCA005 - Border Moors and Forest statement of priorities.

3. To prepare farm businesses for achieving net zero by 2050 and to ensure they are sustainable, resilient, and fit for the future.

Group priorities

The focus will include upland nature restoration and increased biodiversity. This will include:

1. Maintaining, enhancing and expanding priority habitats to increase connectivity and reducing fragmentation on:

• hay meadows
• native and ancient woodland
• flushes and fens
• riparian habitat and mires
• heathland and blanket bogs

2. Creating, restoring and protecting priority habitats and species such as:

• black grouse

• curlew

• twite

• red squirrel

• small pearl-bordered fritillary butterflies

• freshwater pearl mussels

• white clawed crayfish

• other important protected aquatic species, woodland birds, mammals, insects and invertebrates

3. Investigate new native woodland creation, riparian planting and ancient woodland opportunities as well as encouraging further, enhanced management.

4. Improving water quality with on farm improvements resulting in a reduction of:

• diffuse pollution – sediment, phosphate and nitrate loss from run off, field and farmyard practices

• introduction of further riparian planting

• the enhancement of natural river processes

• new wetland habitat creation

5. Investigate flood risk management through measures that will:

• reduce the amount and rate of surface run-off

• reduce soil erosion

• slow movement of water on floodplains

6. Protect and preserve archaeological, historic features and buildings.

7. Improve air quality – introduce best practice to reduce ammonia emissions.

8. Carbon sequestration including:

• mitigating against climate change

• managing habitats to maximise carbon capture and storage

• investigating farm carbon audits and farm net zero plans

9. Restore, maintain and protect sites of special scientific interest and any other relevant designations.

10. Investigate the economic and social benefits that these objectives will help to achieve.

Upper Coquet and Breamish: CSFF 010018

Group objectives

1. To form a group that involves numerous holdings to collaborate and create a landscape scale opportunity allowing long term engagement with positive, higher quality environmental outcomes whilst creating a local support network. 

Achieved by educating, upskilling, and sharing knowledge amongst the members and stakeholders from within the focus area that will include farmers, foresters and land managers.

2. By using Agri-environment schemes as a vehicle, they will incorporate best practice methods to achieve targets as set out in Defra’s 25-year environment plan through the delivery of various CS Priorities as stated in the NCA004 - Cheviots statement of priorities.

3. To prepare farm businesses for achieving net zero by 2050 and that are resilient and fit for the future.

Group priorities

The focus will be on nature restoration and biodiversity by:

1. Maintaining and enhancing priority habitats, such as:

• upland hay meadows

• heathland and blanket bogs

• calcareous grassland

• native and ancient woodland

• riparian habitats

2. Creating and restoring as well as protecting priority habitats that will provide food and shelter for to benefit priority species, such as black grouse, breeding waders, such as lapwings and the red squirrel.

3. Woodland – planting to buffer and link existing woodlands and other semi-natural open habitats within priority woodland habitat networks, protect woodland especially those designated for their national biodiversity value, target woodland withing priority areas for woodland priority species.

4. Water quality – on farm improvements, reduce water pollution from run off and sediment, flood risk, flood attenuation, riparian planting, enhancing natural river processes.

5. Flood risk management through reducing amount and rate of surface run-off, reduce soil erosion and slow movement of water on floodplains.

6. Air quality – introduce best practice to reduce ammonia emissions.

7. Carbon sequestration – carry out farm carbon audits, devise farm net zero plans, mitigate against climate change, manage upland habitats to maximise carbon capture and storage.

8. Protect and preserve geological, archaeological, and historic features.

In addition the group could focus on new entrants into the system due to the likely change in steering group membership.

North Pennine Farmers – Alston/Slaggyford group: CSFF 020022

Group objectives

1. Workshops and training events will be provided for the group on a one-to-many basis covering the following topics. Better understanding of managing priority habitats and species including:

• management of breeding waders

• woodland management and planting of native broad-leaves

• identifying hay meadow species and optimum management

2. Better understanding of grant schemes including the existing Countryside Stewardship Capital grants, Mid-Tier and Higher Tier schemes and the new environmental land management (ELM) schemes as they are developed focusing on those that are of most relevance to the uplands.

3. Opportunities for private finance, for example through carbon storage and biodiversity net gain.

Ribblesdale Farmers Group: CSFF 030024

Group objectives

1. We will build on almost 20 years of genuine collaborative effort and shared learning amongst the local farmers and partner agencies. The aim is to make positive practical changes ‘on the ground’ to improve the biodiversity and water management of Long Preston Floodplain and the wider catchment. This will in turn help sustain the farm businesses and long-term health of the area.

To achieve this, the objectives are to widen and deepen understanding of the issues and practical options. This includes engaging more farmers from the wider catchment, taking a more detailed look at issues, keeping up to date with available support – and crucially by demonstrating and trialling practical solutions.

2. We will hold 8 meetings per annum, indoor and outdoor, on the floodplain and at other relevant sites. These will be themed around the priorities, facilitated by a mixture of speakers from within our own farmers group, our organisations, and external specialists.

This will be supplemented by updates, joint meetings with other farmers groups and more informal discussions at farmers events such as local auction marts.

Group priorities

Increasing biodiversity and supporting priority species

Top priorities including the maintenance, restoration and creation of priority habitats and support priority species that depend on these habitats. These include:

• blanket bog, upland heath, upland flushes, fens and swamps

• ancient and native woodland

• upland calcareous grassland, upland hay meadow

• lowland fens, lowland meadows, lowland raised bog

• purple moor grass and rush pastures

• floodplain grazing marsh

• riparian habitat associated with priority rivers and lakes

Breeding wader assemblage: parts of this area are targeted for their variety of breeding waders being nationally significant where one or more of the following species occur:

• lapwing

• redshank

• curlew

• snipe

Improving water management

Restore and maintain the River Ribble Long Preston Deeps SSSI water quality: phosphates and sediment in the Middle Ribble – Settle to Calder catchments.

Flood and Coastal Risk Management – reduce the amount and rate of surface water run-off, reduce soil erosion and slow the movement of floodwaters on floodplains in the priority areas of:

• Long Preston Deeps and Settle to Bolton-by-Bowland

• Rathmell Beck

• Wigglesworth Beck 

Woodlands: flood risk-planting designed to increase infiltration of heavy rain into the ground, reduce erosion, or slow the flow of floodwaters on floodplains.

The priorities our members will deliver on are all intrinsically linked, owing to the nature of the farm group area. This was identified at the formation meeting of the group, and it was agreed that multiple benefit activities should be a focus.

Methods to deliver water quality and flood and coastal risk management are often the same, for example delivery of woodlands, and within the context of the area this would be delivered to ensure improved biodiversity.

Bradfield Farmers: CSFF 030025

Group objectives

1. Work together to provide interconnecting priority habitats supporting a thriving ecosystem.

2. Deliver improved soil health supporting a biodiverse soil biome underpinning sustainable food production.

3. Enable adaption or mitigation (or both) for climate change through improved farm resilience and delivering effective carbon sequestration.

4. Identify, manage and monitor natural capital on members’ holdings to maximise the provision of public goods and secure future income sources. Achieve these by:

• delivering improved biodiversity especially species rich and wet grassland, moorland, ancient woodland, rivers and riparian vegetation and breeding wader habitat

• improving water quality by enhancing soil health through better management of inputs, enhanced soil structure, increased soil organic matter and therefore carbon sequestration

• manage and create connected habitats which are resilient to a changing climate and which store carbon

• better understand the natural capital which they own/manage so they can further improve provision in the future and derive financial benefit from doing this

Group priorities

Maintain priority habitats through sympathetic management: specifically blanket bog and associated upland flushes, upland heath, lowland meadows, acid grassland, ancient and native woodland, riparian habitat along the River Loxley, Ewden Beck and tributaries. This will also benefit priority species for the area such as twite, redstart, yellow wagtail and waders and much-loved species, such as barn owls.

Where these habitats are not in favourable condition, work with members to take appropriate action to restore them by improved management.

Linked to these priority habitats – seek to enhance or increase habitat for pollinators – scrub, species diverse grassland, woodland, wetland. Benefits both to the pollinators but also waders and other farmland birds and mammals.

The Bradfield Farmers group area contains 4 SSSIs including the extensive Dark Peak SSSI covering over a third of the group area. It includes the South Pennines Moor SAC and the Peak District Moors SPA. Six members of the group have land in these designated sites. Focusing on habitats to buffer, enhance and potentially extend designated sites will be a priority and will also promote resilience to climate change through enhanced carbon storage.

Breeding waders – continue the survey of breeding wader populations in partnership with the RSPB across members’ farms which commenced in 2022. This will provide scientifically valid data on breeding curlew, lapwing, snipe and oystercatcher. In response to results, members will take collaborative action to enhance habitat, protect nests and create new habitat for waders either through CS, Farming in Protected Landscapes(FiPL) or other funding schemes.

Improved water quality – focus on improving soil health to reduce nutrient and sediment loss to water.

Identify opportunities for natural flood management in the landscape and implement through CS and other funding sources – will also address water quality issues by trapping sediment and reducing colour.

Ancient and native woodland: working closely with the Woodland Trust and Forestry Commission to support members to bring woodlands back into active management and create new woodland where appropriate.

East Lancashire Farmers Facilitation Group (ELFFG): CSFF 040017

Group objectives

1. Establish the group’s priorities and produce an operational plan.

2. Identify opportunities to trial:

• low ammonia emission flooring for livestock buildings

• livestock nutrition and handling to reduce ammonia emissions

• identify run-off risk areas and land management options

3. Create habitats for priority species and choose land management options to meet their specific needs.

4. Identify projects to enlarge existing sites or help join up habitat networks and to create priority habitats to achieve improvements in water and air quality and flood risk management.

5. Identify and provide food and nesting resources for birds, insects and other animals.

6. Create species-rich pastures and hay meadows to benefit habitat creativity and biodiversity.

7. Improve water quality by controlling the source or movement of potential pollutants.

8. Create woodlands to reduce and intercept diffuse pollution from agriculture.

9. Identify options to address flood risk.

Group priorities

1. Support development of the group and establish final priority and delivery plan.

2. Air quality.

3. Ammonia – trialling different types of agricultural practices

Livestock nutrition, handling, spreading of manures and nitrogen fertilisers.

4. Increasing biodiversity and supporting priority species:

• twite

• willow tit

• pale bristle-moss

• breeding waders – lapwing, redshank, curlew, snipe

• woodland birds – lesser spotted woodpecker, tree pipet, redstart, pied flycatcher, spotted flycatcher, wood warbler, marsh tit, lesser redpoll and hawfinch

5. Maintaining and restoring priority habitats:

• ancient and native woodland

• clough woodland

• upland heathland

• blanket bog

• upland flushes and swamps

• upland hay meadows

• riparian habitat associated with priority rivers and lakes

6. Protecting hedges to:

• provide food and nesting resources for birds, insects and other animals

• create areas for rare flowering plants

7. Improving water management and water quality:

• addressing water pollution
• sediment run off across holdings

8. Improving farm infrastructure, creating woodland and addressing flood risk.

9. Other priorities identified by the group.

Peak District Estates Farmer (PDEF): CSFF 050024

Group objectives

To facilitate group members to work together to deliver environmental priorities including CS priorities, specifically to improve the local farmed environment with a focus on:

• water quality, soil health and flood risk management

• air quality

• biodiversity, especially in high value habitats including SSSIs – calcareous, dry acid and neutral grassland, moorland, rivers, and ancient and native woodland

• biodiversity – breeding waders and other priority species

• landscape – registered parkland, limestone dales, walls and hedgerows, boundary and in-field trees, woodland and the historic features contributing to the special character of the landscape of the Chatsworth, Haddon, Hassop, Stanton and surrounding area

Group priorities

The distinct landscape and geology of the White Peak NCA 52 and Dark Peak NCA 51 share similar priorities including:

• water quality – phosphate in both the Derwent and Wye catchments

• the management and protection of sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs)

and other designated areas including Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) and Special Protection Areas (SPA)

• designated historic sites – scheduled ancient monuments and registered parks and gardens

• conservation of priority habitats including species-rich unimproved grassland and meadows (calcareous, acidic, neutral), upland heath including flushes and mires, and native and ancient woodlands

• protection of priority species (including waders) and priority landscape features such as walls, hedgerows and in-field and boundary trees

• flood mitigation (Wye catchment) – reduction of soil erosion, slowing floodwaters and surface water runoff

Selecting these specific priorities enables the entire group to participate in delivering shared objectives across a landscape scale, facilitated through group activities covering these topics.

The PDEF group area covers:

• a significant area of designated habitat including the Wye Valley SSSI and Lathkill Dale SSSI that form part of the internationally important Peak District Dales SAC

• extensive moorland forming the eastern quarter of the area within the Dark Peak NCA,  designated as the Peak District Moors SPA, the Eastern Peak District Moors SSSI and the South Pennine Moors SAC

• Chatsworth Old Park SSSI

• two of the most important Registered Parks and Gardens in the Peak District

Guardians of Sherwood: CSFF 050025

Group objectives

To integrate 12 new members into the group so that all can work together to develop shared knowledge and understanding of local issues and how to address them.

Use this knowledge to work collaboratively to:

• continue to address all the priorities of last 6 years including special habitats and species of Sherwood National Nature Reserve (NNR) and SAC and building sustainable populations of farmland birds and pollinators by extending corridors of habitat and increasing understanding of life cycles in ecosystems

• widen range of priority habitats to include ponds, orchards, riparian habitat and wet grassland

• address woodland creation, including right tree/right place and agri-forestry

• improve water quality and reduce flood risk in all priority water bodies in groups area

• improve air quality through understanding impacts of arable and livestock management, and improved practices

• secure funding to help implement change

• build sustainable, integrated farm businesses

• grow group to 60 members  and 23,000 ha focusing on Ryton and Dover Beck catchments

Group priorities

The existing CS priorities for the Sherwood, and Trent and Belvoir Vales NCAs to be addressed are:

• biodiversity – maintain and restore ancient and native woodland, wood pasture and parkland, lowland meadow and 8 SSSIs

• the Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package (WPFWP)

• water – address phosphate issues in River Trent and its tributaries,  address phosphate, sediment and nitrate issues in Rainworth Lakes, Clumber Park and Welbeck Great Lakes SSSIs

• priority species – farmland birds including turtle dove and lapwing, willow tit

• historic environment: archaeological features of national significance

• climate change: address climate change to support the resilience of biodiversity, water and other scheme priorities

New priorities are:

• biodiversity – riparian habitat associated with priority lakes and rivers, floodplain grazing marsh. Address air quality to reduce pressure on vulnerable habitats

• water – address flood and coastal risk issues in the River Trent and its tributaries, River Idle catchments, area NE of Nottingham conurbation, Dover Beck, Rivers Greet and Leen,  address groundwater nitrate near Bilsthorpe and phosphate and sediment in River Idle catchments

• historic environment – undesignated features of high significance including SHINE (Selected Heritage Inventory for Natural England) sites and historic parklands

• woodland planting – buffer and link existing woodland and planting that contributes to flood risk alleviation and water quality benefits

• landscape – field margins and buffers, hedgerows and hedgerow trees, ponds and  grassland

North Shropshire Farmers Group: CSFF 060020

Group objectives

1. Increase understanding of ammonia emissions – how and when do we lose nitrogen in arable and livestock, measures to deliver greatest cost-benefit to conserving nitrogen, practical solutions to meet clean air strategy requirements.

2. Understand movement of phosphates from land. When and how is it reaching watercourses – measures to reduce run off. Can measures work for Nature Recovery Network (NRN) too.

3. Deepen understanding of nature recovery networks - how they can be delivered in the farmed landscape and what future funding and markets will enable this. Identify existing priority habitats and key species and identify how to protect and connect them through measures which fit with farm businesses of all types and sizes.

4. Unlock lowland peat restoration projects and investigate measures to reduce carbon losses from organic soils where there are challenges with full restoration. How could paludiculture fit onto farms with lowland peat?

5. We will research water management measures to reduce flood impacts and harness resources on farms – how and where should measures be deployed and what benefits or challenges, or both, do they bring?

6. We will learn about carbon balance on farms and research new markets into, for example, carbon, nutrient neutrality, biodiversity net gain (BNG) and water management, to prepare farm businesses for future blended finance approaches to environmental delivery.

Group priorities

Through our NRN theme, we will:

• highlight existing floodplain grazing marsh, fen and associated wetland habitats, and identify sites with potential for restoration or creation of these meres and mosses features.

• seek to understand the attributes of species diverse grasslands (such as lowland meadow) and learn how increased diversity in existing swards can deliver nature for climate results (including carbon sequestration, water management).

We will:

• investigate landscape approaches to habitat enhancement to improve our local prioritisation of target species

• work with Shropshire Wildlife Trust (SWT) to identify keys areas for key species (for example corn bunting on Baggy moor)

• map potential interventions which could expand their territories and benefit wider biodiversity

• encourage uptake of the WPFWP options to benefit farmland bird species through the provision of seed and insect food (in connection with this, we will research the role of insects on farms to attract beneficial species for integrated pest management (IPM) purposes through enhanced management of boundary features and in crop measures for example companion cropping

• consider our boundary features and small farm woodlands - how they can be enhanced and expanded to create wild edges across the landscape, which can be mapped and connected to amplify their benefit

• tackle water quality issues in the Perry, Roden, Tern and Telford rivers through practical farming measures, well-placed farmland options and signposting to grant funding for infrastructure improvements

Herefordshire Agri Group

Group objectives

Work collaboratively to reduce the impact of agriculture on water quality of the River Wye, we will:

• increase knowledge of the necessary management approaches to reduce diffuse pollution from agriculture

• meet 6 times per year to further our knowledge as a collective on nutrient management approaches, soil husbandry techniques, livestock management and mitigation methods like nature based solutions to ameliorate diffuse pollution

• increase understanding of agriculture’s role in the condition of the Wye within the group and with non-group members, with an aim of reaching 50% of land holdings in Herefordshire with the project during its lifetime

• undertake training to increase the knowledge and understanding of group members using both internal expertise of the facilitator Kate Speke-Adams on water monitoring techniques, water quality standards, regulatory requirements, soil health assessments and phosphate audits, but also from external technical experts where required for soil monitoring, crop nutrition and communication skills to enable group members to confidently share and disseminate their activity

Group priorities

Across the Herefordshire Wye CS priorities centre around water quality as a limiting factor for a number of priority species and habitats.

The group will work collaboratively to:

• reduce losses to water of nutrients from fertilisers, manures and organic materials

• prevent losses to water of sediment from soil erosion and runoff

• enhance and restore priority riparian habitats associated with priority rivers

Through these priorities actions that can deliver multiple environmental benefits will be identified and where possible delivered by group members. These will include:

• use of nature based solutions like wetland habitats, including reedbeds, wet woodland and riparian corridors to reduce runoff rates, mitigate against nutrients in solution and reduce impact of soil erosion on aquatic species

• slowing the flow of water in the landscape through use of in-field grass strips, swales, attenuation features, ensuring soil cover over winter, tree and hedgerow planting to reduce runoff rates and benefit water quality and flood risk

• reducing nutrient use within the catchment in:

a) livestock scenarios through identifying opportunities to reduce bought in feed and fertilisers that enable more regenerative management with low input grassland, use of legume rich leys and restoration to species rich meadows.

b) Arable scenarios through enhancing soil health to enable a reduction in fertiliser use and better targeting of organic manures so that land managers access and run down high Phosphate indices which have built in the catchment due to decades of inappropriate nutrient application and has resulted in leaching of elevated levels in land drainage from high risk sandy and silty soils.

• Securing benefits from climate change will also be an important outcome. As well as reducing carbon foot print of farm businesses through a reduction to bought in livestock feed and artificial fertilisers, group activity will present opportunities for increased carbon sequestration in soils and habitat creation like wood pasture and woodland planting on farm holdings.

Whiston Brook Farmers Group: CSFF 060023

Group objectives

The Whiston Brook is currently rated ‘Poor’ for fish, macrophytes and phosphate, with serious flooding events occurring downstream in Stafford in 2020.

The group will:

• prioritise working collectively to achieve catchment based solutions to restore the functioning potential back to the ecosystem. The most recent training event for the group has been on regenerative agriculture, with a number of group members starting to apply this on their farms.

• investigate how farm practices may be modified to reduce sources of ammonia and its unintended movement through the environment

• investigate how carbon sequestration, water quality and flooding can be positively influenced by improving soil health in ways most suited to the arable and pastoral farms in our region.

While increasing yields from farming, improving soil health can also help to reduce surface water run-off and consequently soil erosion and diffuse pollution in the watercourses within the catchment improving water quality.

The restoration and creation of such habitats will also contribute significantly to improving the water quality and reducing flooding in the area and will help to secure land to work towards the Nature Recovery Strategy and the global commitment of 30x30 (aims to protect at least 30 percent of the planet’s land and water by 2030).

Group priorities

Within the Shropshire Cheshire Staffordshire Plain NCA, the Whiston Brook catchment joins the River Penk, a priority area for reducing phosphate, sediment and nitrate inputs.

Focussing on improving soil health and air quality, we can provide multiple benefits across a range of NCA61 key priorities, including:

• priority habitats and species

• maintenance of SSSIs

• tackling surface water run-off and consequently the movement of pollutants and reducing flood risk around Stafford, Penkridge, Gnosall and along the river Penk itself.

By developing group knowledge around improving soil health, we will contribute towards sequestration and retention of carbon within the soils, improving soil health within the catchment, benefitting farmers and also improving soil structure.

The increased infiltration and the water retentive capacity of the soils will reduce the amount and rate of surface water run-off and consequently soil erosion and the transportation of sediment and nutrient pollutants into the watercourse.

Working to improve soil health can also reduce the source of potential pollutants, through the reduction of nutrient inputs and pesticides, in turn reducing the sources and dispersal of ammonia, a key source of rural air pollution and objective of Defra’s 25-year environment plan.

Adoption of management practices to improve the air quality within the catchment will reduce enrichment and acidification and will help to maintain the three SSSIs within the catchment.

Healthier habitats will be more resilient to the predicted effects of climate change as the stressors on the floral assemblages are reduced. Located within the Meres and Mosses Natural Area and immediately adjacent to Motteymeadows Brook for 1100m, Mottey Meadows is a SSSI, NNR and SAC giving it international importance as a lowland meadow, with maintenance of this habitat a key biodiversity priority.

Using options within the surrounding catchment we will look to improve soil health and create wetland habitats to reduce phosphate, nitrate and sediment pollution and therefore improve air and water quality.

Through the creation and restoration of lowland meadows, floodplain grazing marsh, new riparian woodland and the strategic establishment and restoration of hedgerows and ponds, we aim to expand and link up priority habitats throughout the landscape of the project area.

Farmer Guardians of the Upper Thames: CSFF 060024

Group objectives

1.To continue a collaborative group of farmers and land managers to deliver integrated socio-economic and environmental benefits for the Upper Thames and Clay Vales. This will be done through supporting sustainable food production and natural capital recovery.

It will include facilitating Countryside Stewardship and other developing funding support through the ELM scheme and blended finance through transition.

2. This primary group objective will enable other related objectives with a specific focus on landscape options to be worked up collaboratively, to deliver:

• food provisioning

• biodiversity recovery

• priority habitats and species protection

• water quality

• reducing flood risk

• woodland restoration

• riparian management

• boundary restoration

• soil management

This opportunity will continue to be open to all farmers and land managers in the Upper Thames Catchment and should aid group members with their eligibility to Countryside Stewardship, government grants and other schemes.

Group objectives

1. Sustainable farming and reducing diffuse water pollution from agriculture.

This will help to:

• deliver good ecological status of surface and ground waters, and underpin ecological recovery

• focus on the practical learning of riparian management and improving the ecology for fish habitats and channel diversity for other target species

2. Woodland restoration and tree planting will be a key focus of the Group through woodland management plans and strategic woodland planting to reduce run off and flooding.

There will also be a strong focus on restoration of hedges, ditches and wet woodlands. Specifically, the Group will deliver the following CS priorities for the Upper Thames and Clay Vales:

• biodiversity

• priority habitats and species protection

• water quality and reducing flood risk

• woodland restoration

• riparian management

• boundary restoration

• soil management

There will be additional work to build on the initial desktop and ground truthing exercise of the project, and develop a base line of existing land use and Agri- Environment Scheme (AES) options so that land use change outputs and uptake of options and option location can be measurable and clearly monitored throughout the project.

The focus of the Group will be to deliver the recovery of the flood plain grazing marsh and lowland meadows of the Upper Thames, where farmland can support large populations of lapwing, curlew and redshank.

Other farmland birds in the project area include corn bunting, tree sparrow, turtle dove, willow tit and yellow wagtail. The target mammals in need of landscape scale habitat restoration include water vole and Bechstein ‘s bats.

There will also be a focus on surveying and recreating habitat for butterflies such as brown hairstreak, wood white, marsh fritillary and the barbary carpet moth. Farmland sites that support species such as black poplar, snakes-head fritillary, greater burnet and shepherds needle will also be a focus for management, restoration and recreation.

The Group will have a strong focus on climate change adaptation looking at soil health, organic matter, soil biology, water attenuation as contributory to these CS priorities.

Severn Vale Guardians: CSFF 060025

Group objectives

1. To continue a collaborative group of farmers and land managers to deliver integrated environmental, socio and economic benefits for the Severn and Avon Vales.

2. To help build ecosystem and farm business resilience to the changing climate. This will be done through supporting sustainable food production and natural capital recovery. It will include facilitating CS and other developing funding, support through the Environmental Land Management Scheme and blended finance through the Agricultural Transition Period.

This will enable the landscape options to be worked up collaboratively to deliver:

• food provisioning

• biodiversity Recovery

• priority habitats and species protection

• water quality

• reducing flood risk

• woodland restoration

• riparian management

• boundary restoration

• soil management

This opportunity will continue to be open to all farmers and land managers in the Severn Vales and should aid group members with their eligibility to CS, government grants and other schemes.

Group priorities

1. There will be a continued focus (in the wider landscape) on:

• water quality

• soil management

• flood risk

The focus in targeted areas will be maintaining and extending habitat to support wintering wetland birds and breeding success of waders such as curlews.

2. New priorities identified are:

• enhancing existing pond habitat within the farmed environment

• restoring ‘ghost ponds’ within the landscape

• management and restoration of species-rich floodplain meadow and traditional orchards and particularly taking action to diversify the age and genetic structure of orchards and supporting the rare noble chafer beetle

A wider priority will be trees on farms, including:

• hedgerows

• in-field trees

• small woods

• parkland and wood pasture habitats

It is hoped this will support a diverse range of wildlife, including bat species.

3. Black poplars were once very common in the Severn Vale, but our now nationally threatened, therefore the group would like to include this species in tree planting activities.

4. Hedges and ditches are key linear features throughout the Seven Vale landscape that have huge potential for nature restoration.

5. Developing appropriate management and activities to restore and enhance the structure of hedgerows and provisioning services such as nesting habitat, winter food and nectar provision.

6. The joint habitat of hedges, veteran willow pollards and ditch boundaries will also be explored in terms of the best management for the provision to wildlife, water quality and movement of water through the catchment. There is a strong historical influence on the landscape and protecting and enhancing heritage assets such as ridge and furrow and medieval earthworks will also be addressed.

7. As part of the groups activities we plan to create an updated base-line of habitats and land use so that improvements can be measurable and clearly monitored throughout the project.

Carrant Catchment Area Restoration Project: CSFF 060026

Group objectives

1.  To investigate and improve soil health by testing and looking closer at soil microbes, exploring benefits of continuous cover, multiple species cover, livestock integration, direct drilling and min till.

2. To investigate how organic farming can benefit from objective one and also maintain a balance with growing clean crops.

3. Explore crop varieties and how reduced inputs might help benefit both crop, soil microbes and beneficial insect populations.

4. Access training in soil microbes and crop culture to drive innovation in the group.

5. Investigate and improve water quality though natural flood management, cover cropping and buffering water courses, implement river fly monitoring regular water testing spread awareness of water quality.

6. Improve biodiversity and focus on connectivity across all holdings linking SSSI and SAC from Bredon Hill to Dixton by:

• improving wildlife corridors

• exploring rewilding

• improving woodland and hedgerow structure and unevenness to build better habitat for all wildlife including the violet click beetle

7. Build stronger catchment partnerships to help drive and support local nature recovery strategies, enterprises and initiatives to provide access to the countryside and rural skills and jobs.

Group priorities

1. We aim to:

• enhance, improve and restore as many priority habitats as possible through our aims and objectives, as most farms have one or more of the CS priorities

Farms on Bredon Hill and Dixton Hill are part of the SSSI and SAC which:

• is a priority for  violet click beetle

• borders the NNR which is dominated with species-rich grassland, wood pasture and ancient woodland

2. Traditional orchards – we already we have enhanced sites but more work is needed each year to maintain older orchards that have fallen into poor states.

3. Lowland meadows are a key priority around the rivers as we continue to work with bird experts, especially curlew to maintain and enhance sites for breeding.

4. Lowland calcareous grassland – we’ve expanded on wood pasture and parkland with veteran trees over the past 5 years. More work is still needed to keep putting trees into the landscape to bridge the gap of veterans and young tree species that will support a saproxylic landscape.

5. Ancient and native woodland – this has been touched on the last couple of years and continues to be a driving point as we want to improve understory and woodlands edges on both Bredon and Dixton Hill.

6. Reedbeds – through the additional funding from Severn Trent we’ve started to put reed beds into the landscape as they are scarce. We will be monitoring these with our bird ringing group.

7. Coastal and floodplain grazing marsh – on-going work with Servern Trent funding that needs extending into Eckington areas.

8. Riparian habitats associated with priority rivers and lakes – this would be a relatively new area for us to focus on with the Worcestershire County Council and their Natural Flood Management team.

9. Arable field margins – these areas need to be maintained in CS going forward and not dismissed as we explore integrated pest management and reduced inputs to crop management.

East Cambridge Farmers: CSFF 070021

Group objectives

• deliver shared learning, farm visits, talks, training

• collaborate to protect and enhance priority habitats

• assess farmland birds, pollinators and flora

• improve water and air quality, secure funding to help implement change, build sustainable, integrated farm businesses

• map farms through digital mapping with the group

• maintain and restore chalk-grasslands, lowland meadows, ancient and native woodland, wood pasture, hedgerows and chalk streams

• carry out biodiversity mapping and use to create, restore and connect up priority habitats

• support and monitor farmland biodiversity

• restore and maintain local SSSIs

• share ideas, science, technology, to assist farming, land ownership process

• prepare for emerging markets and assess how our businesses can receive funding in order to maintain profitable rural businesses, whilst promoting biodiversity and soil health

• monitor soil health to sequester carbon, improve soil health and reduce reliance on artificial nitrogen

Group priorities

The area covered by the group is in the East Anglian Chalk area.

There are seven SSSIs.

The group’s priority habitats of focus includes, lowland calcareous grassland, arable field margins, scrub, fen and lowland meadows.

Opportunities exist to create extensions to chalk grasslands, to create a bigger and better linked network across this landscape. The small linear sites, Fleam Dyke and Roman Road, are impractical to graze. Extension of grassland onto adjacent farm land would enable a grazing regime to be developed to increase biodiversity.

Grassland restoration will allow recharge of water to the chalk aquifer.

Arable field margins will be managed as a mix of tussocky, wild bird seed rich or wild flower rich habitat, linked across the landscape. Margins containing rare arable plants will be identified and managed.

Scrub area will be maintained especially on land where Turtle Dove records exist. The WPFWP will be a focus for habitat delivery.

New native woodland will be created and older woods maintained

Hedgerows will be restored and managed to provide nesting, feeding and shelter opportunities for wildlife.

The focus area is rich in history and historic features that will be protected

Multiple environmental benefits will be achieved through increasing habitat, creating linkages in a pressurised landscape leading to an improvement of water and air quality.

The habitat within this area is known to sustain many rare and endangered species. Of particular note recorded on group member farms are:

• turtle dove

• lapwing

• corn bunting

These along with, grassland flora, arable flora and invertebrate species will be priorities to target when creating and restoring habitats.

Waveney Farming Cluster: CSFF 080006

Group objectives

The broad aims of the group are to work together collaboratively to improve water quality, manage water availability and improve habitat connectivity across the River Waveney catchment.

Under these headings, there are several objectives including:

1. To survey and monitor the impact of agriculture on the environment.

2. To reduce nutrient, sediment and chemical pollution in the River Waveney.

3. To educate members on and increase implementation of natural flood management (NFM) which will also enhance drought resilience

4. To create and improve habitats, including enhancing habitat connectivity at the landscape scale

5. To explore new farming practices, technologies and techniques.

6. To connect socially and support peer-to-peer learning.

Group priorities

1. Farmland birds:

• improving and restoring existing hedgerows, scrub, ponds, arable margins, native and ancient woodland and other habitat important for nesting and feeding of farmland birds

(creating new habitats)

• improving and restoring reedbeds, floodplain grazing marsh, wetlands and lowland meadows for wading birds (creating new habitats)

• improving connectivity of habitats

• increasing overwinter bird feeding and winter seed options within CS

• improving habitat important for invertebrates and rare arable plants, for example, bare ground

• providing nest boxes

• group training for priority bird species

2. Flood risk management:

• reducing the amount and rate of surface water runoff through improved land management and water storage

• improving soil health and water infiltration

• restoring and creation of water storage areas, including valley fens, reedbeds and grazing marsh

• reducing soil erosion

• building drought resilience and groundwater recharge through the above measures.

• water scarcity is a priority for the East of England

3. Synergies:

• natural flood risk management enhances biodiversity through ecosystem resilience and habitat availability for priority bird species, for example creation of wet grassland

• habitat improvements for biodiversity will improve soil health and water infiltration and slow the flow of surface water runoff, for example planting new hedgerows.

Due to the likely impact farming businesses, there’s a need for training on these priorities among the Waveney farming community. This is because of a:

• significant decline in farmland bird communities in recent decades

• lack of knowledge and understanding of how climate change, including more frequent floods and droughts

Upper Thames Farmers’ Cluster: CSFF 090019

Group objectives

1. Improve water quality through maintaining and extending riparian buffer zones along water courses and ditches; reduce arable land where flooding regularly occurs.

2. Restore wetland habitats, where appropriate.

3. Increase biodiversity associated with riverine and floodplain habitats, focusing on floodplain grazing marsh and floodplain meadows with their associated breeding wader assemblages and pollinators, bats, great crested newts, water voles and brown hares.

4. Improve connectivity, focusing on field margins and corners, hedgerows (including hedgerow trees and pollards) and ponds/wetland features.

5. Manage parkland and veteran trees; managing and creating native woodland.

6. Increase populations of farmland birds, focusing on tree sparrows, corn bunting, grey partridge, yellow hammer and turtle dove.

7. Maintain Chimney Meadows, Alvescot Meadows and Grafton Meadows SSSIs.

8. Adopt best practice regenerative farming methods to deliver the above and address climate change.

Group priorities

Our overarching focus is water, improving quality, storage, biodiversity and climate, delivering the CS priorities of:

1. Priority habitat-floodplain grazing marsh, lowland meadow, ancient or native (or both) woodland, parkland, riparian habitats and arable field margins will be created, maintained, restored, connected to reduce fragmentation and improve water quality, air quality and flood risk management.

2. SSSIs – 3 SSSIs will be maintained.

3. Priority species – areas will be identified where bare ground, scrub and varied sward structure can be created or maintained for priority species and farm wildlife that the group would like to help:

• tree sparrow

• corn bunting

• grey partridge

• yellow hammer

• turtle dove

• breeding waders

• great crested newts

• bats

• brown hare

Nectar and pollen in the landscape will be increased, along with managing hedgerows, ponds and ditches.

4. Water

The group will work towards improving water quality, buffering water courses and ditches and seeking alternative water supplies to reduce pollution from livestock.

Nutrients, sediment and pesticides will be controlled at source or movement controlled to similarly reduce water pollution.

To help flood risk management, the group will work to reduce surface water runoff, reduce soil erosion and slow the movement of floodwaters on the floodplain.

5. Woodland-opportunities to create or manage woodland/parkland will be sort.

Ock Catchment Farmer Cluster (OCFC): CSFF 090020

Group objectives

We aim to work collaboratively to create a demonstration landscape showcasing the most effective and innovative measures for enhancing the freshwater and terrestrial environment whilst:

• maintaining profitable farm businesses

• building resilience to climate destabilisation

• delivering ecosystem services including flood risk reduction, enhanced biodiversity, clean water, natural habitat connections, carbon sequestration and water resource protection

We will do this by securing the funding and income to our objectives to:

• reduce flood risk to villages and towns including Abingdon

• reduce the diffuse pollution from agriculture

• create new freshwater habitats, especially floodplain wetland mosaics and restore lowland fens

• enhance terrestrial and freshwater assets, create new, continuous, natural wildlife corridors alongside transport and housing infrastructure and create and restore woodlands, hedgerows and species-rich meadows

• improve viability of the Ock’s charismatic native species

• improve resilience of the Ock’s water resources

Group priorities

1. Improving biodiversity

Maintain, restore, create and enlarge the Ock’s priority habitats through effective land management including:

• floodplain grazing marsh

• floodplain wetland mosaic

• lowland meadow

• lowland calcareous grassland

• lowland fen

• reedbed

• ancient woodland

• traditional orchards

• riparian habitats associated with priority rivers

• arable field margins

2. Priority species

Meet the specific needs of the Ock’s priority species by tailored habitat management for:

• corn bunting

• lapwing

• brown hairstreak

• liquorice piercer

• pondweed leafhopper

• creeping marshwort

• green hound’s-tongue

• pennyroyal

• Cotswold pennycress

• greater water-parsnip

• fen violet

Breeding waders – managing land to maintain and enhance conditions for lapwing, redshank, curlew and snipe.

Woodland birds – maintaining and enhancing conditions for lesser-spotted woodpecker, spotted flycatcher and marsh tit.

Wild pollinators and farm wildlife – providing essential year round resources through nectar flower mixes, flowery grassland, winter bird food mixes and enhanced management of ponds, ditches and hedges.

3. Managing water

Water quality – addressing phosphate, nitrate, sediment and pesticides in the Ock catchment and controlling the source and movement of nutrients, sediment and pesticides from fertilisers, farm operations and runoff

Flood and coastal risk management – reducing surface water runoff volume, rate, soil erosion and slowing floodwaters on floodplains in the catchments of:

• the Thames upstream of Oxford

• the River Ock upstream of Abingdon, between Marcham, Garford, East Hanney and Drayton

• Letcombe Brook upstream of Wantage

• Ginge Brook upstream of the A34

Christmas Common Farmers: CSFF090021

Group objectives

1. A water resilient landscape

• plan and mitigate for floods and droughts through infrastructure, cropping and soil management

• identify and address land management practices that are contributing to flood risk

• reduce drinking water protected areas (DWPAs) with particular focus on pesticides

2. Adopters of clean air farming

• identify and address weaknesses in nitrogen use efficiency to reduce ammonia emissions and greenhouse gas emissions

• learn about and explore opportunities to reduce ammonia escapes from livestock farming

3. Improve soil health

• learning and knowledge sharing on regenerative agriculture

4. Enhance biodiversity 

• build upon the work we have already started, improving our knowledge and ability to support iconic farmland and Chilterns species

• create or improve supporting habitat

5. Increase our community involvement

• find ways to improve public enjoyment and understanding of the farmed landscape

Group priorities

1. Water quality and management

• reduce pesticides affecting the Thames catchment and phosphates in the South Chilterns

• reduce amount and rate of surface water runoff and soil erosion across our area as a whole, and in the south of our area, manage the floodplain well to slow movement and benefit biodiversity

2. Priority habitats

• extend or enhance and buffer priority grasslands and make productive pastures more diverse.

• ensure best management on SSSIs within the group

• continue work with Forestry Commission (FC) and others to address deer impact on woodlands and other habitats

• investigate squirrel control trials

 3. Priority species

• corn bunting and other priority farmland birds

• identify opportunities for important arable plants

• in the south, manage for breeding waders

• liquorice piercer – moth surveys in appropriate locations to determine presence or absence and inform management

• continue our work to provide more insect rich habitat across farms seeking opportunities to create links

4. Landscape

Top priorities for members are:

• permanent grasslands

• hedgerows

We want to make them more biodiverse and better managed.

5. Climate change

We aspire to net zero or better than and will continue to deliver this through better informed land management practices and technological advancements.

Winchester to River Test Farm Cluster: CSFF 090026

Group objectives

The group plans to build on its well-coordinated wildlife network and extend its scope to collaborative work on air, water and soils including:

• joined up and coordinated approach to wildlife across the landscape, with strategic overview across the cluster

• spread of species from designated nature reserves into the wider countryside

• rolling out nature-friendly farming practices

• collecting regular wildlife data as indicators to inform conservation works and guide members habitat plans

• improved soil quality and health – structure, water retention, organic matter

• improved air quality – reduction in farm emissions and efficient use and storage of fertilisers

• improved water quality - reduced soil erosion and run off, management practices to reduce diffused pollution

• shared knowledge and expertise through meetings, training events, sharing best practice and inspiring change

• enable education and outreach

• promote a positive PR for farming and wildlife

Group priorities

Soils, air and water:

• precision farming techniques

• best practice management for soil, air and water

• bank-side management

• enhance and connect pond networks

• safeguard River Itchen and Test plus their tributaries from phosphate, nitrate, sediment and pesticides

• tree planting and agroforestry options, climate mitigation, carbon sequestration, clean air

• arable margins, woodlands and grassland – protect, enhance and link existing species rich sites with wider countryside

• farm wildlife – co-ordinated habitat creation for pollinators, farmland birds, mammals

• heritage and culture – increase awareness of historic environment, develop links with local community

Habitat:

• lowland meadows including water meadows, floodplain grazing marsh and associated ditch habitats of high environmental value, wood pasture and parkland with veteran trees, ancient and native woodland, lowland calcareous grassland, riparian habitats associated with priority rivers and lakes, arable field margins

Sites of special scientific interest:

• SSSIs including River Test and Itchen plus associated marshes, commons and wetland habitats, Stockbridge Down, Crab Wood, Brockley Warren

Priority species:

• corn bunting, lapwing, stone curlew, turtle dove, willow tit, Duke of Burgundy, brown hairstreak, field cricket, juniper

• woodland bird assemblage – willow tit, pied flycatcher, spotted flycatcher, tree pipit, lesser spotted woodpecker

Section 41 species, for example, hedgehog, harvest mouse, dormouse, great crested newt, grey partridge, brown hare, soprano pipistrelle bats.

Plantlife:

• Important Plant Areas (IPAs)

Avon Valley Farmer Cluster: CSFF 090027

Group priorities 

1. We will use umbrella species such as breeding lapwing and redshank to advocate for improvements in wet meadow wetland habitat and look for synergies with other species including Bechstein’s, barbastelle and greater horseshoe bats.

2. We envisage bats being a great focus going forward as they are an umbrella species that requires good quality grassland with high invertebrate numbers, good quality hedgerows and water systems. We would like to identify what bat species are using the Avon Valley and where there are cross overs between different priority species groups.

3. We will work with the Wessex Rivers Trust and a new not-for-profit community interest company FLOW to monitor water quality and freshwater invertebrate life in the River Avon. Training will be provided to the farmers and volunteers on monitoring and how we can improve water quality and river health. We will work with the local Catchment Sensitive Farming Advisor to get advice on opportunities for improving water quality (nitrate and phosphate) and sediment run off, and help with accessing grants available to the farmers.

4. We will use land app to help farmers create farm and conservation maps - helping us visualise the landscape and link priority habitats and areas.

Objectives 

Building on the success of our first CSFF we will to look at the landscape character and habitats along the Avon Valley. We will focus on habitat quality and connectivity as a measure to ensure species conservation and recovery, identifying priority areas within the cluster area for different habitats and species assemblages.

1. Priority habitats – species rich meadows, lowland meadows, floodplain grazing marsh, wet woodland and fen, riparian woodlands and hedgerows, the chalk stream river and its tributaries.

2. Priority species – breeding waders (lapwing, redshank, snipe, curlew), bats (greater horseshoe, barbestrells, Bechstein’s), barn owls, water voles, ditch invertebrates (large mouth valve snail, scarce chaser).

3. Other priorities - water quality and river health (phosphate, nitrate and sediment), promoting best practice predator management, project promotion and engagement.

Wylye Valley Farmers: CSFF 100016

Group priorities 

1. Water management - improving water quality. Resource protection – gather data, identify and address water quality issues (N, P and Sediments) in the River Wylye (Hants Avon SSSI/SAC).

2. Water management – addressing flood risk. Develop a plan to reconnect the river and the floodplain, returning it to a more natural state. This will both improve biodiversity and increase capacity within the floodplain to slow the flow and hold back water at peak times.

3. Increasing biodiversity – priority habitats. Improve, extend and connect existing priority habitats – chalk grassland (including juniper), chalk stream, floodplain grassland and other riparian habitats, woodland and arable habitats including field margins.

4. Biodiversity – priority species. Reverse the decline of farm wildlife with particular emphasis on the following priority species; juniper, farmland birds (including corn bunting, yellowhammer, lapwing, grey partridge) wild pollinators, bats, white-letter hairstreak, reptiles.

5. Other:

• increase practice and understanding of regenerative farming with an emphasis on soil health, reducing carbon emissions and increasing carbon capture

• education and community engagement - run and attend events to promote and increase public awareness of farming and the environment

• increase knowledge and data gathering in order to monitor an quantify results of new projects and management

Group objectives 

This group is all about joined up, landscape-scale conservation led by farmers, for farmers.

Our objectives are to:

• work collaboratively, share experience, build knowledge, skills and awareness of environmental issues and priorities within the Wylye Valley

• initiate and develop projects that achieve multiple environmental benefits by cooperating at a landscape scale across different landownerships

• deliver outcomes that go beyond what could be delivered by individuals acting in isolation

Milton Valley Cluster: CSFF 100017

Group priorities 

Water quality:

• to improve water quality, specifically reduce nitrate levels in the Milborne St Andrew groundwater drinking water catchment, to maintain this as a drinking water supply and avoid the need for water treatment

• to reduce nitrate leaching losses from agricultural land to meet the nitrate leaching targets for the Poole Harbour catchment and contribute to the improvement of water quality in Poole Harbour

• to reduce nitrate, phosphate, sediment and faecal bacteria pollution of the Milborne stream, which is within the Poole Harbour catchment

Biodiversity - priority habitats:

• management, restoration and targeted creation of lowland calcareous grassland to strengthen the fragmented network within the cluster and connect it to the Dorset Downs Cluster network

• management and creation of riparian habitats and floodplain grazing marsh to buffer the watercourse and enhance its value as a wildlife habitat, including in channel work to promote natural processes and reduce downstream sedimentation

• management and creation of a network of arable field margins to provide habitat for farm wildlife

Biodiversity - priority species:

• increase understanding and implement habitat management for corn bunting

• targeted management for rare arable plants to encourage their germination and increase their populations

• increase understanding and uptake of the WPFWP to help deliver these priorities

Woodland creation, the historic environment and landscape character are important considerations in the area too. They will be considered when discussing other topics to achieve added benefits such as:

• woodland creation to reduce and intercept run-off

• reducing arable cultivation on monuments and to ensure options are located sympathetically in the landscape, especially any permanent land use changes

Group objectives 

1. Work collaboratively with each other and Wessex Water to improve drinking water quality (reduce N losses from farming) in the Milborne St Andrew abstraction catchment and benefit the wider Poole Harbour catchment.

2. Protect and enhance the landscape, habitats and biodiversity of the cluster area. Priority habitats include lowland calcareous grasslands, floodplain meadows, arable field margins, ancient and native woodland and riparian habitats associated with the river valley.

We will achieve this by:

• monitoring groundwater quality and adopting measures to reduce and prevent nitrate losses through groundwater leaching; and minimising pollution by nitrates, phosphates and sediment in surface water run-off

• adopting land management practices to increase soil health, soil organic matter and soil carbon sequestration

• monitoring and supporting farmland wildlife including corn bunting, grey partridge, barn owl and brown hare

• encouraging beneficial invertebrate populations, especially predatory insects and pollinators

• promoting populations of rare arable plant species

Nadder Valley Farmer Group: CSFF100018

Group priorities

1. Air quality – training to reduce emissions by altering livestock diets, manage manure better and reducing nitrogen using regenerative agriculture techniques.

2. Water management – group will continue to work with Wessex Rivers Trust (WRT) and Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) to improve water quality (particularly reducing - phosphate levels) and reduce flooding by:

• addressing sediment pathways to reduce erosion – including training farmers to test water quality 

• increasing connectivity between river and floodplain 

• changing land management to improve soil structure and permeability, reduce nutrient inputs, run off and poaching

Soil is inextricably linked with water quality especially in a river valley so training on soils is included here.

3. Increasing biodiversity and benefiting priority habitat and species – practical training to enable better management of wildlife habitats such as ponds (great crested newts), ancient hedgerows (dormice), coppice and ancient woodland (dormice, greater horseshoe and Bechstein’s bat) grass margins and parkland and orchards.

The group are also keen on insect ID training and improving pollinator provision through increased plant species diversity.

Group objectives 

To achieve group aims, members will continue with existing programme of one meeting and one training event per quarter to enable:

• better management of water, nutrients, soil

• improving priority habitats (lowland meadows, ancient woodland, parkland, ancient hedgerows, ponds)

• increasing biodiversity by enhanced provision of habitat for farm wildlife particularly pollinators, farmland birds, bats, dormice and great crested newts

The group will prioritise options for future CS applications on member farms, creating links between existing areas of semi-natural habitat and buffering those not protected from intensive agriculture.

Bremhill Vales Farmers Group: CSFF100020

Group priorities 

1. Protect water quality in surrounding streams and rivers by encouraging improved farming practices, water management on the land, and soil regeneration initiatives to help reduce N, P and sediment inputs. Consider nutrient neutrality schemes through habitat creation.

2. Address air quality through Catchment Sensitive Farming initiatives and capital grants by reducing ammonia emissions, investigate carbon sequestration opportunities and carbon neutral farming practices.

3. Flood risk attenuation by better water management across the landscape on farmland including NFM.

4. Landscape: create and reinstate priority habitats to enhance mosaic and corridors of ancient and native woodland, hedgerows and wetland habitats and ponds, wet ditches and wet grassland and floodplain meadows across the landscape.

5. Enhance farmland for biodiversity and priority species:  

• birds: lapwing, tree sparrows, yellowhammer, greenfinch, linnets, skylark, spotted flycatcher, marsh tit – nesting and feeding

• mammals: greater and lesser horseshoe and barbastelle bats, water voles, brown hares, polecats

• pollinators: including butterflies and bumblebees.

• great crested newts

6. Enhance the quality of existing neutral grassland and meadows to increase diversity and abundance of wildflowers and invertebrates and create pollinator pathways.

7. Increase the area, quality and management of winter bird seed crops whilst also providing supplementary bird seed feed during the ‘hungry gap’.

Group objectives 

1. Inform and educate about how farm activities can impact air quality (ammonia from slurry) and water quality (nutrients from slurry, muck heaps fertilisers, sediment and suspended solids runoff and soil erosion).

2. Enable farmers to understand water management on farms, how to work with natural processes to improve flood risk, natural flood management (NFM) and water quality.

3. Data collection, mapping and in-field surveys for recording baseline and improvements.

4. Raise awareness, create enthusiasm and learn about creation and restoration of priority habitats and biodiversity. Target landscape-based projects for priority species: lapwing breeding and overwintering, greater and lesser horseshoe and barbastelle bats, Red List bird species including yellowhammer, tree sparrows, skylark, and water voles and great crested newts.

5. Identify invasive non-native species (Himalayan Balsam) and develop eradication plans.

6. Understand alternative funding options and changes to CS schemes and new incentives such as ELMs and private funding sources.

Mendip Hills Farm Cluster: CSFF100022

Group priorities 

Biodiversity:

• we will take a landscape-scale approach to create structural and functional connections between protected sites and to support priority species as part of a diverse mosaic of species-rich grassland and woodland habitats

• we will protect and restore the characteristic calcareous grasslands of the Mendip Hills plateau connecting to the vision of the ‘Big Chalk Partnership’ encouraging a sustainable grazed complex mosaic across the South West

Woodland:

• we will help our group members deal with the impact of ash dieback and encourage them to introduce trees into the landscape considering local appropriateness and resilience to future climate changes

• we will support the expansion and management of hedgerows, a key characteristic of the Mendip farmed landscape

Water quality – a large part of the NCA is within Drinking Water Safeguard Zones (ground water and surface Water) or a Nitrate Vulnerable Zone:

• we will take a regenerative approach to soil health to promote an effective water cycle

• we will restore habitats and incorporate trees into the landscape, with a focus of silvopasture techniques – this will improve water quality and infiltration of water into underground river systems characteristic of the Mendip landscape. The reduced surface run off will reduce flood risk in the Somerset Levels below

Multiple environmental benefits:

• we will explore options for the delivery of public goods and natural capital assets at a landscape scale – adopting management that improves soil health and sequesters carbon

• we will look at mechanisms to deliver towards our objectives through both private and public funding including agri-environment schemes, carbon credits and net gain options

Landscape character:

• members will preserve and enhance the natural beauty of the unique local landscape and heritage, such as distinct drystone wall boundary features and planting trees in a way that is sympathetic with local landscape character

Historic environment:

Mendip is rich in SHINE sites and Scheduled Ancient Monuments:

• the group will work to ensure that these are properly managed with the appropriate Agri environment scheme options

Group objectives

Statement of purpose: We are a learning hub with a collaborative, holistic approach to explore and share ideas for regenerating soils and support the biodiverse ecosystem of our landscape.

1. Regenerate soils and deliver a holistic vision for the Mendip Hills.

2. Work collaboratively to deliver landscape scale ecological connectivity.

3. Adopt sustainable land management approaches to support nature and climate as part of a happy, healthy and resilient community.

4. Provide a meaningful contribution to a vibrant, diverse and thriving local economy which facilitates essential services.

Inner Chase Farmer Cluster: CSFF100023

Group objectives

1. To protect, enhance and link 3 key habitats:

• lowland chalk grassland – including SSSIs and SACs

• native woodland

• arable margins and hedgerows

2. To implement habitat management to increase populations of these species in our area:

• farmland birds – corn bunting, grey partridge, barn owl

• landscape scale delivery of WPFWP

• farmland mammals – brown hare, harvest mouse, hedgehog

• woodland birds – woodlark, tree pipit, sotted flycatcher

• chalk downland and woodland butterflies – Adonis blue, chalk hill blue, small blue, marsh fritillary, Duke of Burgundy, dingy skipper and grizzled skipper

3. Encourage beneficial insects including pollinators – landscape delivery of WPFWP and integrated pest management. 

4. To improve soil health including implementing management to increase organic matter and carbon as well as encourage soil fauna including earthworms, carabid and dung beetles.

Group priorities

Biodiversity:

• priority habitats to be maintained and restored (including enlarging existing sites and joining up habitat networks): lowland calcareous grassland, wood pasture and parkland with veteran trees, ancient and native woodland, arable field margins

• restore or maintain SSSIs

• land management for priority species including corn bunting, lapwing, marsh fritillary, Duke of Burgundy, Bechstein’s bat, greater and lesser horseshoe bat, juniper

• target management for woodland bird assemblage including tree pipit, spotted flycatcher, marsh tit, and lesser redpole

• WPFW package - deliver 5 to 10% of farmed land for pollinators and farmland birds

Water:

• management to address water quality namely Phosphate, nitrate, and sediment in the Dorset Stour river catchment – this will include improving use of nutrients and reducing sediment from soil erosion and runoff

• promote options to reduce flood risk including reduce rate and amount of surface run-off and reduce soil erosion

Woodland:

• manage existing woodlands to address threats of climate change pests (including deer and grey squirrels) and diseases. This will include managing the extensive areas of designated woodland, priority habitat, including PAWS restoration and meeting requirements of priority species.

• prioritise new woodland planting to address biodiversity, water quality and flood risk

Climate change:

• managing habitats to improve their climate resilience, better use of water and soil health

Badbury Rings Farmer Cluster (BRFC): CSFF100025

Group priorities 

The BRFC aims to address 4 of the 5 CS principle priorities: biodiversity, water, landscape and historic environment. With reference to the NCA 134 statement of priorities, see:

1. Biodiversity. Member farms include areas of Priority Habitat Inventory (PHI) floodplain grazing marsh, lowland calcareous grassland and wood pasture and parkland. Utilising knowledge accrued during planned FF events, cluster members aim to collectively conserve existing PHI habitats, as well as restoring floodplain grazing marsh and creating wood pasture, increasing connectivity between habitats where possible. Most farms have various forms of arable margins and the cluster is planning a FiPL survey of rare arable flowers. We plan to run an event on farmland birds, with specific reference to Corn Bunting, Lapwing and Turtle Dove, to increase awareness and understanding of practical management and CS options to conserve them.

2. Water. The Dorset Stour, which borders the BRFC area, is identified as a top water quality priority river, with reference to phosphates, nitrates, sediment and faecal bacteria. The groundwater drinking water source at Shapwick, in the middle of the BRFC area, is also a priority, as are flood risk issues in the Middle Stour (BRFC area). Planned FF events relating to CSF and Wessex Water grants and natural flood management will provide members with an opportunity to become more familiar with measures that can address these issues.

3. Landscape and historic environment. The BRFC has already run an event focused on hedges, hedge management and the importance of hedges in the landscape. Members will continue to conserve landscape features and apply for CS and ELM schemes grant support to continue to do so. There are various Scheduled Monuments across the BRFC area, many of which are conserved under CS options. FF funded farm walks will provide an opportunity for members to share their individual experiences and knowledge of managing historic features and hedges and encourage a collaborative approach to conserving these features.

Group objectives 

BRFC’s objectives, as detailed in the cluster’s constitution dated November 2021, include protecting and enhancing the landscape, habitats and biodiversity across members farms and the surrounding River Stour valley.

Habitat priorities include:

• lowland calcareous grassland

• lowland meadows

• arable field margins

• ancient and native woodland

• river and riparian habitats

Specific priorities for species conservation include several mammals and various birds, including:

• corn bunting

• lapwing

• grey partridge

• turtle dove

Pollinating invertebrates are also identified as a priority for conservation effort.

Other, equally important, priorities for conservation management include:

• soil health and carbon capture

• improving water quality

• flood management

• protecting the historic landscape

• engaging with the public

BRFC is open to reviewing, adding to and amending cluster objectives and is in the process of applying for funding for a baseline habitat survey, with will contribute to future decision making. During the most recent meeting of the BRFC, members agreed to the objective of undertaking surveys to record rare arable flowers.

Southern Streams Farmers Group: CSFF100026

Group priorities

1. Soils, air and water: the project area includes tributaries to the River Kennet SSSI and winterbournes for the River Avon. There are also ponds, including historic and dew ponds. Surface water will be protected by buffers and good soil health practices, such as precision farming techniques, best practice management and soil management plans supported by Catchment Sensitive Farming. Other measures implemented will include pond restoration, cover cropping, buffer margins, riparian tree planting and management. Natural flood management by slowing and capturing water will reduce flood risk and water resilience will be improved. This is particularly important on the Upper Dun (Wilton water) and Shalbourne chalk streams.

2. Air quality: best practice fertiliser storage and application, identifying pollution sources and putting mitigation in place (for example tree planting), increasing knowledge of farm emissions and how to reduce them. Awareness of the impact to vulnerable habitats.

3. Habitats: restore, expand and connect lowland calcareous grassland, flood plain grazing, wood pasture and parkland with veteran trees, ancient and native woodland, riparian habitats associated with priority rivers and lakes, arable field margins. Ensure that there is the Farm Wildlife Package (1% for pollinators, 2% for farmland birds) across the farm area.

4. Priority species: corn bunting, lapwing, stone curlew, tree sparrow, duke of burgundy, bats (especially barbastelle and Bechstein), dormice, barn owl, great crested newt, brown hare, grey partridge. Monitor abundance and restore and manage habitat accordingly to increase diversity and abundance.

5.Protect and buffer designated sites from farm operations:

• SSSIs: Savernake Forest, Freemans Marsh, Botley Down, Ham Hill

• Special Areas of Conservation – Kennet Floodplain

6. Heritage and culture: maintain good landscape character, increase awareness of historic environment, develop links with local community to increase understanding of the value of farmed landscape.

Group objectives 

The group plans to build on its well-coordinated wildlife network and extend its scope to collaborative work on air, soil and water quality including:

• joined up and coordinated approach to wildlife across the landscape, with strategic review. This includes restoring priority habitats, monitoring, improving management, creating habitats to join wildlife corridors

• improved soil health – monitoring to aid decisions on structure, water retention, organic matter and biology

• improved air quality – reduction in farm emissions and improved efficient use and storage of fertilisers

• improved water quality – buffering all watercourses, better water resilience, slowing water flow with natural flood management and water-focussed projects

• shared knowledge and expertise through meetings and training programmes on best practice

• education, outreach and positive PR for farming and wildlife

• advocating nature-friendly farming practices

• work with stakeholders such as Action for River Kennet and volunteers to monitor and improve collaboration

Blackdown Hills Sustainable Farming Network: CSFF110023

Group priorities

During the work of our previous CSFF (then called the Blackdown Hills Farming and Woodland Group), we took a very diverse approach, seeking to address as many CS priorities as possible. For this new programme, we will shift and concentrate our focus onto those themes which are considered current priorities in the Blackdown Hills AONB.

These are:

• water and air quality, as affected by sediments and phosphate load, and nitrate usage, especially in the Axe catchment

• flood alleviation, as affected by landscape ‘roughness’, tree cover, soil infiltration, wetland habitat and beaver activity, especially in the Otter and Culm catchments

• soil conservation and carbon sequestration

• biodiversity, as manifested in mire, heathland and permanent pasture, priority butterflies and bats

Much activity will be set in the context of supporting the resilience of biodiversity, soils and watercourses to the impacts of climate change.

In addressing these themes we will focus on the following CS priorities for NCA 147:

• maintenance and restoration of priority habitats: lowland heathland, lowland acid grassland, purple moor grass and rush pasture, traditional orchards, and riparian habitats associated with priority rivers - this will include where these habitats occur within SSSIs, notably Southey and Gotleigh Moor, Hense Moor, Ruttersleigh, Quants, and (indirectly) the River Axe SSSI

• priority species: small pearl-bordered fritillary, marsh fritillary, brown hairstreak, greater horseshoe bat, lesser horseshoe bat

• water and air quality: phosphate, nitrate and sediment in the Culm, Axe, and Otter catchments

• woodland planting to reduce and intercept diffuse pollution and increase rainwater infiltration or slow the flow on floodplains

• hedgerows and their management, plus hedgerow and in-field trees

Group objectives 

1. Networking – to build on previous facilitation activity to maintain and strengthen the network of CSFF members in the Blackdown Hills, promoting communication and sharing of experience. 

2. Technical know-how – to deliver and share technical and practical guidance relating to the key themes of farmland environmental management in the Blackdown Hills, water quality, flood alleviation, soil conservation, carbon sequestration and biodiversity enhancement. 

3. Space to think and share – to create the spaces for farmers to share an ongoing dialogue to reflect on change, business resilience and future planning.

Taw Valley and Little Dart Facilitation Group: CSFF110024 

Group priorities

Training events are centred around these CS priorities:

• culm grassland

• ancient and native woodlands

• meadows

• flood plain grazing marsh

• wood pasture (silovpasture and agroforestry) and veteran trees

• riparian habitats associated with priority rivers

• arable field margins

• water management and quality (nutrient management, ponds)

• flood risk management (natural flood management, landscape-level management, beaver management)

• importance of scrub and varied sward structures

• woodland and farmland birds

• wild pollinator and farm wildlife

• flower mixes

• species rich grassland

• winter bird food mixes

• managing hedgerows and other key farm habitats (like ponds and ditches)

Group objectives

1. Provide a network for shared experiences, support, co-operation and learning with regard to Agricultural Transition.

2. Help with applications to CS and ELM schemes using the one-to-many approach.

Advice and support with on-farm environmental management and regenerative agricultural practices through a programme of training and engagement activities linked to CS priorities.

3. Recognise the social value of group activities to combat rural isolation and poor mental health amongst the farming community.

4. Every member of the group is encouraged to:

• make some change on their holding to benefit the environment during the 3-year period June 2023 to May 2026 

• consider the options on their holding according to the Countryside Stewardship Priority Statement for the Culm 

• attend at least one event or workshop every year during the 3-year period

5. Establish a local landowner Beaver Group for ongoing management.

Hamatethy CS Facilitation Group: CSFF110025

Group priorities 

Water quality management:

• priorities to reduce flows of phosphate, sediment and faecal bacteria

Actions:

• soil analyses to determine current nutrient levels in soils

• robust fertiliser and nutrient management plans to reduce risks of over application of nutrients

• experiment with composting manure to improve the availability of nutrients and reduce ammonia

• apply CS options such as GS1, GS2, GS5, GS6, SW2, SW10

Improved biodiversity:

• management of priority habitats for these priority species: pearl-bordered fritillary, small pearl-bordered fritillary and marsh fritillary butterflies

• identify and map new priority habitats on the moor and on members farms

• apply option GS6 on appropriate habitats

• restore and create wood pasture on appropriate parcels: WD12, WD6, WD4, WD10

• restore and create wood pasture on appropriate parcels: WD12, WD6, WD4, WD1

• identify potential areas for re-wetting and recreation of peatland using options such as UP5, WT10, SW18

• manage hedges to improve biodiversity and plant new hedgerows using options such as WD2

Group objectives

1. To enrol 20 commoners in the Facilitation Group by 31 December 2023.

2. To have 10 new Countryside Stewardship Agreements in place by 1 January 2026.

3. Improve water quality in the Camel Catchment Area.

4. Increase the resilience of existing priority habitats.

5. Improve the mosaic of wildlife habitats between the Hamatethy Commons and the River Camel with better connection between the priority habitats.

6. Restore peatlands on the Hamatethy Commons where feasible.

7. Increase habitats for the pearl-bordered fritillary, small pearl-bordered fritillary and marsh fritillary butterflies.

Stoke Climsland Farm Cluster: CSFF110026

Group objectives 

To work cooperatively at a landscape scale to create connected, wildlife rich corridors across our farmed landscape and to minimise our impact on the water that flows through our land into the Tamar River as part of a living laboratory.

Sub-objectives include:

• running a variety of free, land management focused training, workshops, farm visits, social events and practical workshops to help members to understand their natural assets

• group access to free advice and support around environmental management on farms as well as peer-to-peer support and learning

• signposting grant schemes, new income streams and diversification projects, including support to develop group applications where this supports the groups’ CS priorities

• increasing knowledge of other businesses and people in the local area providing services relevant to delivering increased biodiversity and water management, enabling joined up local thinking

Group priorities 

The 2 main CS priorities to be delivered within the Stoke Climsland Farm Cluster are:

• biodiversity, through landscape scale wildlife rich corridors

• water, through work to minimise pollution and run-off

Biodiversity delivery plan:

• working cooperatively to identify the current extent and quality of natural habitat across the area

• identification of individual and group actions to improve the quality and connectivity across the landscape of a range of habitats including improved education about management, development and creation of lowland meadows, rush pasture, fens and wetlands and riparian habitats associated with priority rivers and lakes as well as ancient and native woodlands and arable field margins

• base line assessment and identification of collective actions to understand key priority species as well as assessment of actions to promote wider wild pollinators and farm wildlife management, including managing hedgerows and other key farm habitats (like ponds and ditches)

Water management delivery plan:

• assessment of the current water quality linked to Cow to Catchment work as well as Environment Agency catchment data within the Lower River Tamar Water Body

• identification of individual and group actions to manage highlighted pressures coming from soil, nutrient and livestock management, bankside erosion, pesticides sewage discharge and abandoned mining

• identification of actions for surface water drinking water sources from the River Tamar affected by pesticides abstracted from Gunnislake

• identification of water resource and flood management actions to alleviate history of flooding in the Luckett area and the land to the west

Hatherleigh to Halwill Facilitation Group: CSFF110027

Group priorities

Workshops and advice will focus on:

• priority habitats: purple moor grass and rush pasture, ancient and native woodlands, lowland heath, neutral hay meadows, flood plain grazing marsh, wood pasture, riparian habitats, arable field margins

• priority species: freshwater pearl mussel, willow tit, greater and lesser horseshoe bat, small pearl-bordered, pearl-bordered and marsh fritillary, wood white, brown hairstreak butterflies

• woodland birds: lesser spotted woodpecker, tree pipit, redstart, pied and spotted flycatcher, wood warbler, marsh tit, lesser redpoll

• pollinators and farm wildlife: sowing nectar flower mixes, increasing wild flowers on grassland, sowing winter bird food mixes, managing hedgerows

• increasing connectivity, improving water quality, reducing pesticides and nutrients, erosion and run-off, flood risk management, species-rich grassland and wetland creation, SSSI restoration, historic feature protection, woodland planting and management, linking and restoring woodland especially for water management and quality, restoring and replace landscape features, for example hedgerows, earth banks, hedgerow and bankside trees, management for climate adaptation

Group objectives 

1. Support farmers through the transition to more regenerative farming practices. 

2. Increase the uptake of CS and ELM schemes. 

3. Increase habitat connectivity across the area, for example through tree planting and changes to hedgerow management. 

4. Improve the quality of, join-up and expand the area’s natural assets, especially priority habitats – species rich grasslands, hedges, wetlands. 

5. Increase the number and area of wetland habitats. 

6. Help declining bird and mammal species through education, nest boxes and recognition of valuable habitat.

We will achieve these through group workshops throughout the year, designed by the group and led by expert speakers, supported by the Facilitator. Workshops will lead to a greater understanding of the issues and opportunities and help members to access funding to achieve change.

The programme will be designed around CS priorities for the Culm and this local area, with a focus on habitat connectivity and water.

Lower Axe High Distinctiveness Habitat Hub: CSFF110028

Group priorities 

Despite widespread agricultural improvement in our area many of our group holdings have priority habitats and species or have potential to do so.

We aim to ensure that all existing priority habitats will be managed appropriately, ideally under CS options, and encourage members to restore priority habitats and connectivity where possible. By doing this we will also fulfil priority species and resource protection objectives.

Priority habitats present include:

• acid grassland

• purple moor grass and rush pasture

• lowland meadow

• lowland calcareous grassland

• woodlands

• traditional orchards

• fens

• riparian habitats

• coastal grazing marsh

• relic lowland heathland

The medieval pattern of small, irregular fields, dense species-rich hedge banks and hedgerow trees still exists. There are numerous ancient and veteran trees in the wider landscape, including an internationally important ancient oak site with rare wood-decay invertebrates, fungi, lichens and wood-pasture. Priority habitats, particularly grasslands, and veteran trees have been under-recorded.

The area is an integral part of the range of bats (including greater and lesser horseshoe and grey long-eared bats) which use Beer Quarry Caves SAC and SSSI, and the southern part is within the SAC Bat Consultation Area. Brown hairstreak butterflies are also present.

Group objectives 

1. To bring together a core of at least 30 farmer and landowner members who will help to expand the group membership with the eventual aim of including all interested landowners within the area.

2. To establish a fully connected and optimally functioning resilient habitat network.

3. To optimise the carbon storage potential of existing and restored habitats.

4. To work together to learn and share individual and joint actions and experiences that will make a significant difference to biodiversity conservation and the shared interests and sustainability of both nature and farming.

5. Maximise the benefits to participating individuals and to nature from agri-environment schemes and other funding.

6. To support participants and nature through specialist advice, events and visits tailored to the group’s requirements.

7. To make the group self-sustaining in the long-term.

8. To map the nature resource of our area.

Torrington to Meeth Facilitation Group: CSFF110029

Group priorities

Workshops and advice will focus on:

• priority habitats – purple moor grass and rush pasture, ancient and native woodlands, lowland heath, neutral hay meadows, flood plain grazing marsh, wood pasture, riparian habitats, arable field margins

• priority species – freshwater pearl mussel, willow tit, greater and lesser horseshoe bat, small pearl-bordered, pearl-bordered and marsh fritillary, wood white, brown hairstreak butterflies

• woodland birds – lesser spotted woodpecker, tree pipit, redstart, pied and spotted flycatcher, wood warbler, marsh tit, lesser redpoll

• pollinators and farm wildlife: sowing nectar flower mixes, increasing wild flowers on grassland, sowing winter bird food mixes, managing hedgerows

• increasing connectivity, improving water quality, reducing pesticides and nutrients, erosion and run-off, flood risk management, species-rich grassland and wetland creation, SSSI restoration, historic feature protection, woodland planting and management, linking and restoring woodland especially for water management and quality, restoring and replacing landscape features, for example hedgerows, earth banks, hedgerow and bankside trees, management for climate adaptation

Group objectives 

1. Support farmers through the transition to more regenerative farming practices.

2. Increase the uptake of CS and ELM schemes.

3. Reduce sedimentation to benefit pearl mussel and salmonids.

4. Increase habitat connectivity across the area, for example through riparian habitat restoration, tree planting and changes to hedgerow management.

5. Improve the quality of, join-up and expand the area’s natural assets, especially priority habitats for example wetlands, hedges.

6. Increase the number and area of wetland habitats.

7. Help declining bird and mammal species.

We will achieve these through group workshops throughout the year, designed by the group and led by expert speakers, supported by the Facilitator. Workshops will lead to a greater understanding of the issues and opportunities and help members to access funding to achieve change.

The programme will be designed around CS priorities for the Culm and this local area, with a focus on water management and habitat connectivity.

South Devon Connectivity Facilitation Group: CSFF110031

Group priorities

1. How adjusting management practices for hedgerows and marginal land and cropping pattern choice, can benefit wildlife and habitats.

2. Consider cropping choices and grazing methods to increase carbon storage and organic matter of soils and insect pollinator numbers.

3. Large scale linked areas will improve quality feeding and commuting territory for greater horseshoe bat, cirl bunting and pollinators.

4. Improving water quality through better soil management which will lead to reduced runoff and appropriate use of fertilisers.

5. The group will be better informed and carry out more effective management in soil care, slurry and manure management storage and application.

6. Point and diffuse pollution source inputs to the River Dart will be greatly reduced resulting in improved water quality.

7. Priority species for our group are: cirl bunting, willow tit, pearl-bordered fritillary, grey long-eared bat, greater horseshoe bat, lesser horseshoe bat and woodland bird assemblage.

8. Inform landowners of how environmental schemes and CSF are evolving and how they can use these schemes to help meet group objectives.

Group objectives

In line with NCA-151-South Devon, the groups objectives are to protect and extend the habitats within mixed-farm landscape of South Devon. This involves:

• increasing biodiversity and the connectivity of habitats with hedgerows, field margins within arable and grazing systems to create pollinator corridors, riparian habitats

• educating, encouraging better management as well as encouraging the creation of new habitats for example planting a new hedgerow and field margin

This will be achieved by a proactive programme of farm visits and workshops which will encourage knowledge transfer and joined up thinking at a landscape scale, not just at an individual holding level.

Members will learn what the value of their holdings are and what the next steps are to meet the group objectives. Members will also be able to see how other farmers have successfully integrated managing their holdings for the environment whilst still having a profitable business.

We will work with the Devon hedge group to ensure members are well informed on optimum hedge management.

Upper Ouse: CSFF120015

Group priorities 

Priority habitats:

• identify real improvements to the conservation and management of ancient and native woodland to enhance ecological connectivity for wildlife

• conserve areas of lowland meadow, link disjointed areas through arable field margins and riparian habitats, particularly along priority rivers

• restore and re-link remnant areas of lowland meadow

• improve durability, permeability and connectivity of historic ancient grassland, benefiting plants and invertebrates

Priority habitats and species:

• conserve and extend species rich wood scrub grassland, wood pasture and parkland, ancient and semi-natural woodland and floodplain grazing marsh habitats and controlling scrub invasion

• promote sustainable land management incentives, including creation of conservation headlands and winter stubbles, supporting threatened arable wildflowers and farmland birds

• creation and restoration of semi-natural habitats in order to provision habitats for CS priority species in the High Weald, including turtle dove, lapwing, and stone curlew

Historic environment:

• working with farmers, land managers and communities to shape future land management, innovating and diversifying as appropriate to maintain farming systems and enhance the highly valued cultural landscape and archaeological features

Priority habitats and woodland priorities:

• enhancing and expanding existing woodland where it can benefit the landscape character and provide ecosystem services

• plant the right trees in the right areas for habitat creation and carbon sequestration

Water quality:

• address phosphate issues in the headwaters of the Upper Ouse

• consider natural flood management opportunities to address phosphate and sediment loss along the Ouse feeding into Uckfield

Group objectives

To provide a mechanism for land-manager knowledge exchange in the High Weald AONB whilst achieving these objectives:

• encourage collaborative working from land-managers across the High Weald Landscape, focusing on addressing local environmental priorities

• provide a carefully planned syllabus of training events to develop land-manager knowledge on key local issues

• provide much needed support to farmers throughout the Agricultural Transition Period

• improve the soil health of agricultural land, in particular arable land with a view of improving water quality

• improve the connectivity of priority habitat through increasing the area of new, and improving the condition of existing, corridors

Middle Ouse: CSFF120016

Group Priorities

Priority habitats:

• identify priority habitat and use coordination to protect, enhance and buffer them through CS and other projects

• utilise group maps and those created by stakeholders to identify opportunities to create bigger, better and more joined up habitats

Priority species:

• encourage priority species including brown hairstreak, turtle dove and lapwing

• encourage arable plants through AB11: cultivated areas for arable plants in CS

• utilise the WPFWP to encourage planting of flower and species rich lays to provide foraging habitat for multiple species

• sow winter bird food and bumble bird mixes to encourage farmland birds

• improve water quality to encourage river health and species survival, such as sea trout

Water:

• work with water companies to implement flood mitigation strategies, including reduction of surface water runoff and soil erosion, around the Ouse near Uckfield and Lewes

• work with OART to identify priority areas for improved WQ status across the catchment

Archaeology and historic features:

• identify and protect features of the historic environment through conversion of arable land to grassland or permanent pasture, removal of bracken and scrub from archaeological features, seeking capital funding to improve the condition of historical features

Woodland:

• enhance the condition of ancient and priority habitat woodland for wildlife and the public by encouraging the use of woodland management plans including WD2, PAWS restoration and associated woodland options

• increase woodland cover through tree planting grants, utilizing the principle of ‘the right tree in the right place’

Landscape:

• encourage management and restoration of the non-farmed environment including hedgerows, in and ponds through available CS options

Group objectives 

1. Encourage collaboration and knowledge exchange between farmers of the Low Weald to achieve landscape objectives, such as flood mitigation and water quality in the Ouse catchment and enhancement of riparian habitats and other priority habitats which area a focus of the NCA.

2. Provide a program of training events tailored to the challenges and opportunities farmers are likely to face in the Low Weald.

3. Create a forum for farmers to discuss new ideas and approaches to help through the Agricultural Transition Plan. Improve the connectivity and management of priority habitat through a cohesive approach to landscape scale thinking about CS options - this will include mapping work to visualise those connections.

4. Improve water quality by providing an opportunity for water companies and stakeholders to engage with farmers. Develop a joined-up approach between stakeholders to address water quality and flood mitigation. Build on engagement with South East Water and The Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust to inform future management practices.

Swale Farmers: CSFF120017

Group priorities 

The area is rich with designations:

• scheduled monuments

• AONB LNR

• NNRs

• SPA

• Ramsar sites (wetlands of international importance designated under the Ramsar Convention)

• SSSI

• SAC

With much of England’s marshland lost to artificial land drainage, the North Kent Marshes offer a rare glimpse into an ancient habitat. They provide valuable habitat for a range of priority species, such as water voles, lapwings, and European eels.

The priorities:

• manage, conserve and enhance the distinctive rural character and historic environment of the North Downs, including the long-established settlement pattern, ancient routeways and traditional buildings

• promote active management of the diverse range of woodlands and trees

• manage and enhance the productive mixed farming landscape and the mosaic of semi-natural habitats including the internationally important chalk grassland

• promote sustainable agricultural practices to benefit soils, water resources, climate regulation, biodiversity, geodiversity and landscape character while maintaining food provision – plan for effects of coastal change

• maintain the historic character and long tradition of a farmed landscape, creating habitats to establish more resilient and coherent ecological networks within farmland, benefiting biodiversity and geodiversity, and helping to regulate water and soil quality

• protect traditional practices including the longstanding associations of the fruit belt

• work with landowners and managers to incorporate measures to improve biodiversity, geodiversity, pollination, soil and water quality and climate adaption to prevent soil erosion

• conserve and enhance important coastal habitats and distinctive historic and geological features

Group objectives 

To provide a mechanism for land manager knowledge exchange in the White Drain and Lakes Catchment whilst achieving these objectives:

1. Encourage collaborative working from land managers across the catchment area, focusing on addressing local environment priorities.

2. Provide a carefully planned syllabus of training events to develop land manager knowledge.

3. Provide much needed support to farmers throughout the Agricultural Transition Period.

4. Improve the soil health of agricultural land, in particular arable land with a view of improving water quality.

5. Improve the connectivity of priority habitat through increasing the area of new, and improving the condition of existing corridors.

Upper Adur Farmers Group (UAFG): CSFF120018

Group priorities

Whilst not limiting ourselves to the CS priorities for the Low Weald they will form a fundamental pillar of what the group aims to achieve.

The UAFG will focus specifically on:

• water quality

• riparian habitats along the River Adur and its tributaries

• soil health across the productive landscape

• pollinators

• farmland birds

• wood pasture

• parkland

The Low Weald is home to CS priorities including:

• turtle dove

• Bechstein’s bat

• lesser spotted woodpecker

• spotted flycatcher

• lapwing

• a variety of arable plants

The UAFG also hosts nationally endangered species including:

• nightingale

• brown hairstreak and purple emperor butterflies

• a range of rare invertebrates linked to veteran trees

The group will build on work already achieved through the last round of FF funding and:

• map and identify habitat

• bring priority woodland into management

• create corridors across the catchment

We will improve soil, water quality and natural flood management, in line with the regional EA targets and as part of ELM schemes.

Mapping natural capital to aggregate services will help us address climate change both in terms of reaching net zero and through resilience corridors, key to delivering these priorities.

Through our work as a group over the past few years we have already identified great examples of habitat. Our task now will be to map these, account for their natural capital value and use them to build and create new habitats across the group.

Examples include:

• arable field margins

• wood pasture

• ancient woodland

• riparian habitats

• floodplain grazing marsh

• spectacular lowland meadows

We will create habitat for nightingale, turtle dove and brown hairstreak using funding from the Wilder Horsham District, ELM schemes and landowner contributions.

Group objectives

The UAFG’s objectives hinge around sustainable food production, diversified income streams using natural capital and delivering for endangered species:

• increasing soil health and developing income streams through SFI, soil carbon and water quality and storage

• education and support for members on emerging policy and market opportunities understanding natural capital schemes and how they blend with ELM schemes, aggregating across the farmer group to take ecosystem services to market

• building biodiversity across the farmed system, generating revenues from ecosystem services in both voluntary and statutory markets

• protecting and enhancing priority species  through the additional funding we will secure if successful in the FF application we hope to run a mink eradication and water vole reintroduction, and turtle dove habitat creation project

The ELM scheme LR River Adur restoration will provide great synergy and will form one of our objectives. Water quality will be an objective that all group members will be involved in through our catchment-based approach.