Working together to save farmland wildlife
What wildlife do you want on your farm?
That was the question posed by Teresa Dent, CBE, chief executive of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, at a meeting of some 300 farmers, land managers, gamekeepers, facilitators and policy makers. We were all in London to learn more about the “Farmer Cluster” initiative designed by Teresa.
Farmer Clusters are groups of farmers who work together to decide which threatened species to conserve on their farms. Thanks to Natural England’s facilitation fund of £5.5 million, the scheme is expanding rapidly. Farmers are increasingly supportive of this approach as it is led by them. They are then supported by conservation experts who offer advice and guidance on how to achieve their conservation goals.
It does of course make total sense. What curlews, hares or grey leg partridge know where one farm boundary ends and another begins? This is an initiative which aims to be ‘bigger, better and more joined up’ than anything which has happened before. It rather begs the question; why hasn’t it happened before? I suppose most of us, until now, have felt we have done our bit, alone.
The willingness of farmers to engage with conservation was noted by Andrew Paul, Suffolk farmer and facilitator, who spoke about the Sandlands project and recalled how he approached 60 farmers to get on board, and only one failed to appreciate the concept.
Additionally, he mentioned that one farmer in the scheme saw stone curlew return to his land after a 40-year decline.
Teresa Dent will be speaking on November 9, at a drinks party hosted by the Shropshire branch of the GWCT. She is to address the future of rural payments, while progress of the Stiperstones and Corndon Curlew Project will be revealed by Amanda Perkins, while woodcock fanatic and artist Owen Williams will highlight the endearing nature of this bird.
Tickets for the event at Leighton Hall are £10 each, email phackett@gwct.org.uk, Pippa Hackett is the North West Regional Organiser, Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust. If you bring a friend it could be the catalyst to your farmer cluster and seeing the wildlife you treasure make your land home.
Tim Main is chairman of the Shropshire branch of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust.
