To read the blog in Welsh / I ddarllen y blog yn y Gymraeg, cliciwch yma.
More than ever, agriculture has an essential role to play in saving nature. The State of Nature Report found that intensive farming in the UK has had by far the largest negative impact on nature, across a wide range of habitats and species - which is bad news for nature in Wales, where over 80% of our land is farmed.
One of the many reasons we love Wales is because it’s characterised by wild landscapes – sheer cliffs, rolling hills and rugged mountains. Upland landscapes are particularly important for the future of nature in Wales because they are home to some of our most precious wildlife, such as the curlew, and internationally important habitats like blanket bog and upland heath. They are also integral to the future of people, offering some of our most celebrated landscapes and providing us with essential benefits like carbon storage in peat rich soils (mitigating climate change), clean air and drinking-water, flood alleviation and opportunities for leisure and exercise.
Because these landscapes are so important for both people and nature, we’ve been working with a number of upland farmers to help wildlife recover and to make sure that nature once again thrives in Wales. One example is our twite recovery project in Snowdonia, where we have been supporting farmers who are working to manage habitats in a way that benefits twite populations. These small mountain finches have declined dramatically, due to changes in agricultural practices, and we are working with farmers to ensure they are not lost from Wales.
Twite by Andy Hay rspb-images.com
Another example is our recent work with Fairness for the Uplands, an independent group representing the interests of upland farmers in Wales. On 24th November the Welsh Assembly’s Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs (CCERA) Committee visited a farm in North Wales, to understand more about upland farming as part of their current inquiry into ‘the future of agricultural and rural development policy in Wales’. With National Trust and Fairness for the Uplands representatives, we presented to Assembly Members our common vision to make future land management in Wales good for farmers, good for nature and good for people.
Other important work has involved sharing a platform with farmers from Ysbyty Ifan at the recent Biodiversity Cross Party Group (a cross party is an informal group of Assembly Members from all parties in the Welsh Assembly, coming together to discuss key issues). This was another great opportunity to encourage discussion on the future of farming, sustainable land management and the importance of addressing wildlife declines in any future land use policy. As part of the event a short film was shown which illustrates the importance of peatlands such as blanket bog. The film, which features local school children rapping about blanket bog restoration, was even shown at the Paris Climate Change Convention in 2015. You can watch the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5OGMaxZYM4
Despite fantastic work going on all over the UK to improve the state of nature, Brexit has meant that the fate of our agricultural land, and the wildlife that lives there, is unclear. It’s likely we’ll leave the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which means the Welsh Government is currently making decisions on what will come next. This window of opportunity to positively influence agricultural and rural development policy is very rare and could be instrumental in saving nature for future generations in Wales. That’s why RSPB Cymru has been working closely with upland farmers to influence what happens next, to make sure our beautiful, wild environment is protected in all its glory.