Recognition needed for landowners in fight to protect wildlife
The CLA today (24 September) criticised some of the recommendations of the newly published Making Space for Nature report, saying they must look more closely at the contribution of landowners.
The Association agreed with the report that more must be done to protect wildlife but said the role of farmers and land managers has been down-played.
CLA President William Worsley said: The report needs to recognise that it is only farmers and land managers who can create and protect the sort of environment we all want to see in the countryside. They are the ones who can effectively manage the hay meadows, ponds and hedgerows on which wildlife depends.
Many of the recommendations in the report will penalise those who already manage their land sensitively for wildlife, for example, by unreasonably increasing planning restrictions on land that could be potentially important for wildlife in the future. Wildlife management has an economic cost, and if rural businesses are prevented from evolving to meet the changing demands of the marketplace, the delivery of wildlife management will ultimately decline.
Mr Worsley added: I am, however, pleased that the report endorses the need for retaining Government environmental grants, as they have demonstrated that landowners can achieve good results when provided with the right encouragement. Landowners could do even more if they were allowed to receive other funding only currently available to conservation groups.
Massive cuts to public spending means it is essential for the Government to ensure that farmers and land managers are on board. This is the Big Society vision in action. Without them, England’s wildlife network will not be strengthened because nobody will be able to look after it or afford to pay for it.
“Making Space for Nature” was commissioned by former Environment Secretary Hilary Benn before he left office, and has been delivered to Secretary of State Caroline Spelman by Professor Sir John Lawton to set out how to help England’s wildlife and ecological network. The report can be downloaded from the Defra website: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment
The CLA Press Office can provide case studies of effective management for wildlife on privately owned land. Please contact Lisa.Barker@cla.org.uk for details.
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has around 35,000 members.
As a membership organisation, the CLA supports landowners by advising them on how best to protect and maximise their asset: the land. We are dedicated to supporting landowners and their businesses. Our success is measured by how effectively we do that. We have a team of experts in London and a regional structure able to give local support.
We have been looking after the interests of our members, as well as promoting the positive aspects of land ownership, land management and rural business activities for the past 100 years. CLA members own or manage approximately half the rural land in England and Wales, and the resulting expertise puts us in a unique position to formulate policies and lobby effectively.