RSPB Cymru welcomed the Natural Resources and Food Minister, Alun Davies’s announcement that more funds will go towards schemes to deliver for wildlife in the wider countryside.
On Wednesday 18 December, Alun Davies made the first in a series of decisions on how he will spend his CAP budget in Wales over the next seven years. The Welsh Government has announced it will now transfer 15% from Pillar 1 income support, to Pillar 2 (note 1) rural development.
Katie-jo Luxton, Director of RSPB Cymru said: 'We are absolutely delighted with this news, as it means as much money as possible has been made available to support farmers that are helping to provide homes for nature in the wider countryside. However, there are some further key decisions ahead in 2014, and we must ensure this funding is used as effectively as possible to provide benefits for wildlife.'
The State of Nature report published earlier this year showed that wildlife in the wider countryside of Wales is at crisis point. Arable flowers such as the small-flowered catchfly and corn buttercup, continue to decline and have a smaller range now than at any other time in recent decades. Birds like the curlew and lapwing have declined by more than 75% in recent decades, and more than three quarters of the Welsh pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly has declined in recent decades.
Katie-jo adds: 'In Wales almost 80% of the land is farmed, so farmers hold the key to restoring our wildlife. We hope this marks a turning point for our countryside and begins improving the plight of our farmland wildlife, so that iconic Welsh farmland species such as curlew and lapwing have a positive future in Wales.'
In January, the Minister will be reviewing Glastir, the scheme which protects the environment and supports farmland wildlife. RSPB Cymru is currently calling on supporters to ask the Minister to ensure Glastir helps wildlife friendly farmers improve our countryside for nature. And that Glastir guarantees farmland wildlife has everything it needs to thrive, and becomes a key part of a wider plan to reverse wildlife decline by 2020.
Support countryside wildlife by writing to the Minister.