Farmers and land managers are stewards of the landscape, being responsible for the management of three quarters of the land in the UK. This role comes with responsibilities towards wildlife, the environment and ecosystem services, which should be recognised and supported (Britain has lost half its wildlife. Now’s the time to shout about it, 26 March).
As with any business, adjustments to benefit the environment will be more readily made if these are financially supported, and if the driving force behind the change comes from the farmers themselves the likelihood of success is increased.
It is vital that funding that currently supports agriculture and the environment is retained and policy delivers for Britain’s wildlife. Much can be done to improve this. We hope for an environmental policy that encourages conservation and environment measures across a larger scale and offers farmers greater choice and results in better outcomes for conservation. It is by working with our farmers, rather than against them, that we can offer a better future for Britain’s wildlife.
Alastair Leake
Director of policy at Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT)
Get the inside track on soil and water research
We are delighted to announce the launch of our brand new book - The Soil & Water Balance.
Priced at just £9.95, this handy paperback provides the inside track on soil and water research.
Presented in a Q&A style, much like last year’s popular Moorland Balance, this 100-page book looks at the problems and solutions on topics ranging from erosion and contamination, to the impact on songbirds and other wildlife.
Combining years of research at the GWCT's Allerton Project demonstration farm with tens of external scientific papers, this is a fascinating study of how farming can adapt to the challenges it currently faces.
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