RSPB welcomes vital role for farmers in Government environment paper

Photo by Andy Hay

The Government’s Natural Environment White Paper signals a vital role for farmers in delivering real benefits for our environment.

The document, released today (Tues, June 7), lays out plans for a series of Nature Improvement Areas which will see conservationists, communities and public bodies working with farmers to restore habitats on a landscape scale.

The paper also contains proposals for the formation of a stakeholder panel including representatives from government, industry and environment groups to look at how we increase food production whilst providing habitats for wildlife in our countryside.

The RSPB has welcomed the report and hopes to build on its partnership with farmers across the country to support their vital work in creating space for threatened birds and other wildlife in our countryside.

Martin Harper, RSPB conservation director, said: “Nature Improvement Areas are about looking at conservation on a joined up, landscape scale, instead of a series of patchwork measures dotted across our landscape.

“This is something the RSPB and other groups have been working towards for a long time, and we are already working with farmers and other land owners to achieve this vision in areas like North West England and Salisbury Plain. It’s fantastic to see the Government promoting this idea and giving farmers a vital role in restoring the nature on their doorstep.

“We welcome the announcement of an expert panel which will help guide the Government in its efforts to balance the needs of food production and wildlife conservation.

“But while we applaud the scale of the ambition on display in the Natural Environment White Paper, the Government will need to be brave enough to intervene with the right mix of regulation and incentives whenever progress on wildlife and habitats is stalling.

“We know that the Entry Level Scheme is not delivering on its potential and ministers have an immediate opportunity to fix this through the Government’s review of the effectiveness of Environmental Stewardship. In the current financially constrained world we need to make sure the existing incentive schemes for farmers are working as hard as possible for wildlife.

“The RSPB will be willing to work with Government to ensure its objectives are met.”

The NEWP follows on from the recent National Ecosystem Assessment earlier this month which paved the way for a new approach to conservation taking into account the value of vital services our natural environment provides, including leisure, carbon sequestration, flood defence, clean water and crop pollination.