To read this in Welsh / I ddarllen y blog yma yn y Gymraeg - cliciwch yma
Children may seem amazed at the nature they see when out in the countryside, but just imagine their reaction to the immense variety that was on offer just 30 years ago. Our farmland wildlife has declined dramatically. The State of Nature 2016 report found that farmland birds have declined by 54% since 1970. Similarly, butterflies have declined by 41% since 1976 and up to 12% of farmland wildlife is now threatened with extinction. One of the primary drivers of these declines has been the intense management of agricultural land. Despite efforts of many individual farmers who are passionate about nature to help farmland wildlife thrive once again, agricultural policies over the past few decades have driven changes in farming practices which have sought to improve productivity but have had a detrimental effect on the nation’s wildlife.
Photo: Eleanor Bentall (RSPB Images) - RSPB Lake Vyrnwy farm and agricultural land
There has been much debate recently around what agricultural policy in Wales will look like following the UK’s exit from the EU, and this presents a major opportunity to rethink our approach to land use and ensure a shift in policy to sustainable practices. The Welsh Assembly’s committee responsible for scrutinising environmental and rural affairs policy (CCERA Committee) is considering this issue in detail, and over the last couple of months the Committee have heard from various bodies about the risks and opportunities ahead around defining a new agricultural and rural development policy. RSPB Cymru has been making sure nature’s voice is heard in these ongoing discussions.
We welcome the statement from Mark Reckless, the Chair of the CCERA Committee, who reported to the Assembly that the Committee, whilst continuing its inquiry, has reached an early consensus on the direction they believe future support must take. The Committee strongly believes that the new policy must be focused around ensuring the delivery of environmental and land management objectives. We support this approach; if we are to reverse wildlife declines the future policy must have the delivery of environmental objectives at its heart.
In September we outlined a vision with our partners highlighting that public funds should be focused on supporting resilient rural businesses capable of meeting diverse environmental challenges - such as:
RSPB Cymru believes that only by doing this, will we be ensuring sustainable land management practices.
To read more about the work we’ve been doing with partners on developing a vision for the future of sustainable land management, please see this previous blog.