April 2006 - LOWLAND AGRICULTURE
Building on existing rural initiatives
and good habitat management practice, through local partnerships, is promoting
biodiversity in farmed landscapes.
Hedgerows, dykes, ditches and fallow strips are all oases of biodiversity, creating a network of ‘natural’ corridors amongst the acres of wheat and barley and swathes of yellow oilseed rape. These natural habitats are essential for the survival of many species of farmland birds, such as yellowhammer and hedge sparrow, that frequent the hedgerows, small mammals that are themselves essential prey for barn owls, kestrels and stoats, and a host of invertebrates. In winter the fields are important for overwintering waders and wildfowl such as lapwing and geese.
Lowland Agriculture
Three quarters of Scotland is agricultural land. Much of Scotland’s landscapes, habitats and wildlife have been created by many generations of farmers and crofters working on the land. Agricultural practice is therefore critical in determining the future appearance of the countryside, the biodiversity it supports and its overall ecological health.
Scottish farmland can be divided into four broad types: hill livestock, crofting, lowland livestock and dairy production and arable cropping. There are a range of priority species reliant on all these types of farming.
The importance of arable land for wildlife
Within
arable areas, spring sown cereals provide short vegetation suitable for nesting
lapwing and skylark, with winter stubbles providing an important source of
spilt grain and weed seeds for birds such as grey partridge, corn bunting
and linnet. Arable farms are also important for mammals such as brown hare,
for a range of insects and for rare arable plants such as cornflower.
Field margins can be managed to increase the diversity of plants and wildlife. By leaving a one-metre grass strip between the field boundary and crop edge, it can benefit small mammals such as mice and voles, providing ideal hunting areas for barn owls and kestrels. Field margins can also help to reduce the impact of fertiliser and pesticide on sensitive habitats nearby. Grass strips that run across the middle of a crop are called Beetle Banks and are suitable in bigger fields as a way of providing areas for wildlife in a cultivated landscape.
Boundary features
Hedges, ditches and dykes are important features in the landscape, contributing to the scenic value of an area. They provide a habitat for all kinds of wildlife including beneficial insects such as butterflies and ladybirds; mammals such as bats and hedgehogs; and are a prime source of food and shelter for hedge-nesting species and farmland birds like yellowhammers.
In general, the thicker the hedge, the more wildlife benefit it provides. Trees in hedge lines are also important for the landscape and help to increase bird numbers. A good mix of species in hedges provides seeds and berries throughout the winter, which is one of the main reasons why hedge trimming should not be carried out every year. In order to protect wildlife, farmers are not allowed to trim hedges between 1 March and 31 July except for where it is required for road safety reasons. This gives the best chance for nesting birds to be left undisturbed.
The wildlife value of different grasslands
Most
agricultural grasslands have been improved by fertiliser or re-seeded to improve
yield. These grasslands tend to have a lower wildlife value compared to grasslands
that haven’t been ploughed, reseeded or fertilised.
Unimproved grasslands are home to a huge variey of plants and animals. Cowslips, ox-eye daisy, rock-rose, lady’s bedstraw and pignut are just a few of the common grassland flowers which were once more common than now. Bumblebees, grasshoppers and butterflies are found in a wide variety of unimproved grasslands.
Lapwings nest among short-cropped grass whilst snipe and curlew favour the damper areas where they can probe in the soft soil for invertebrates.
Most grasslands are managed by grazing. Sheep and cattle, when managed extensively, can help provide the ideal conditions to support a wide range of plants, birds, invertebrates and mammals.
Encouraging sustainable farming
In Scotland, schemes to encourage environmentally-friendly farming practices have operated for a number of years. The Rural Stewardship Scheme (RSS) is the current agri-environment scheme covering the whole of Scotland, introduced in March 2001. Farmers, crofters and Common Grazing Committees can apply to the scheme in order to receive support for a number of environmental options, many of which will help deliver the wildlife benefits listed above. The Scheme runs on a discretionary basis and if an application is successful, the agreement lasts for five years. There is a range of management options that a farmer can select and they include prescriptions to support birdlife, species-rich grassland, moorland, wetland, field margins, boundaries, arable areas, woodland and scrub.
In 2007, the Rural Stewardship Scheme will be replaced by a new system of support called Land Management Contracts (LMCs).
Land Management Contracts will operate on three tiers. Tier 1 secures a basic level of environmental protection, food safety and animal welfare. Eligible farmers receive subsidy payments through the Single Farm Payment Scheme for Tier 1. The LMC Menu Scheme, introduced in May 2005, delivers widespread benefits and is available to all farmers on a non-competitive basis. The LMC Menu Scheme is the second tier and is a step towards introducing the full LMC Scheme. Under the Menu Scheme, there are a range of options that farmers and crofters can choose from to provide economic, social and environmental benefits. Tier 3 is still under development and will be introduced in 2007. This will be a targeted, competitive scheme that will incorporate existing agri-environment schemes as well as taking a more integrated approach to the wider social and economic benefits delivered by rural land managers.
Forthcoming Biodiversity related events:
Isle of Arran Wildlife Festival 27 – 31 May 2006 - for more information and booking visit www.arranwildlife.co.uk
Other useful links: