Call to keep on paying farmers to help wildlife

FARMERS should continue to be paid for supporting wildlife on their land as part of a new £1bn-a-year strategy, an authoritative report advises today.

A major study into the state of the country's wildlife and conservation areas has concluded they are generally "too small and too isolated", and cannot cope with the existing pressures upon them – let alone the extra problems climate change will bring.

The report, commissioned by the previous Labour Government and

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described as a "repair manual" for the natural environment, says much of England's characteristic wildlife is in decline and that "the situation is likely to get worse" unless major changes are made.

It offers 24 recommendations to reverse the situation and gives firm backing to the existing environmental stewardship scheme, by which farmers are paid to manage their land in wildlife-friendly ways. The scheme, which offers a valuable additional income to many farmers, is thought to be under threat from the next round of Government spending cuts.

The report also recommends new large-scale "ecological restoration zones" are put in place by coalitions of councils, landowners, communities and businesses, to improve existing wildlife sites and restore natural habitats.

In total, the measures outlined have an estimated price tag of between 600m and 1.1bn a year. The report says not all the costs should be met by the Government, but states that the sooner action is taken, the lower the cost will be.

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Report author Sir John Lawton said: "There is compelling evidence that England's collection of wildlife sites are generally too small and too isolated, leading to declines in many of England's characteristic species.

"With climate change, the situation is likely to get worse. This is bad news for wildlife but also bad news for us, because the damage to nature also means our natural environment is less able to provide the many services upon which we depend. We need to make more space for nature."

The review found that while the management and condition of protected areas has improved in the last decade, local wildlife sites are poorly managed and protected.

It says the higher level of environmental stewardship programmes should be retained as the "single most important tool" for managing England's ecological network, and that the lower level of the programme – the entry level scheme – should be improved. It also recommends a new type of stewardship scheme be introduced to provide "buffer" protection for habitat and create 'corridors' for wildlife to move around via measures such as the replanting of hedgerows. It also recommends tax incentives to encourage private landowners to create and maintain habitats.

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Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said the report supported Prime Minister David Cameron's vision for action outside the Government.

"Sir John Lawton is right to challenge us over what it takes to address the loss of biodiversity, but he is also clear this cannot be done by Government alone," she said. "Everyone from farmers, wildlife groups, landowners and individuals can play a role in helping to create, manage and improve these areas. If ever there was a time for the Big Society to protect our natural environment, this is it."

The RSPB's Alice Hardiman said the recommendation to retain

environmental stewardship schemes was "especially welcome" and that the report should form the backbone of the Government's forthcoming Natural Environment White Paper.

"Professor Lawton's recommendations, if acted upon and funded, could help to deliver vibrant landscapes that are important for the future of wildlife and people," she said.

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"In times of austerity we need to budget carefully, so funding wildlife schemes and a protected network of nature reserves which can relieve floods, create green lungs for city dwellers, or buffer the UK against the impacts of climate change are prudent ways of using budgets."