Chris Bailey, Advisory Manager RSPB Scotland, tells us more about the important work we do with farmers and others across Scotland.
Did you know that every year RSPB Scotland staff assist hundreds of farmers, crofters and land managers across Scotland by providing advice and support on a range of issues – from helping priority species to managing important farmland, upland and woodland habitats. A lot of our work focuses on high priority species including curlew, lapwing, corncrake, black grouse and capercaillie. We know that many species respond to sensitive management and agri-environment schemes are very effective if deployed properly. RSPB Scotland has a highly skilled and knowledgeable team of staff who work tirelessly with land managers to help wildlife. Staff continue to work closely in partnership with agricultural agents and farming organisations to ensure farmers and crors have the opportunity to enter grant schemes. These partnerships includes initiatives supporting farmers in important breeding wader areas in Caithness, Clyde Valley, Grampian, Shetland, and Strathspey; corn bunting in East Scotland and corncrakes in Durness, Orkney, Skye and Uists. In this blog we will look at how we showcased some of these projects over the summer to government, industry and the public.
Image: Chris Bailey
The stand at the Royal Highland Show focused on our work with farmers, our nature reserves and what people can do to give nature a home in their own garden. In the farming area we highlighted some of RSPB Scotland’s key advisory projects including work within the Berwickshire Arable Wildlife Project. Farmers within this project undertake conservation work alongside growing commercial crops including wheat, malting barley and oilseed rape. They create and manage many different habitats designed to help wildlife. These include creation of new ponds and wild bird cover plots, management of hedgerows and careful grazing of species-rich grasslands which contain rare plant species. Most of this work is funded through agri-environment schemes, the most recent being the Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP). We were joined at the Royal Highland Show by four farmers from the project who spoke to visitors about how they worked with RSPB and their wildlife friendly farming operations. The stand was a major success not only in encouraging a range of MSPs and government officials to visit, including Roseanna Cunningham the Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change but also engaging the public about the importance to wildlife of the farmed landscape.
Roseanna Cunningham and Anne McCall, RSPB Scotland Director. Image: RSPB
Our advisory work in Berwickshire and in East Scotland relating to Corn Buntings, was also showcased when we hosted the Scotch Whisky Association at a farm in Berwickshire. Discussions focused on how we could work together to increase the wildlife value of farms growing malting barley for the industry. Malting Barley has been shown to be very important for corn buntings with 48 per cent of territorial males in Angus and Fife associated with this spring sown crop. It also provides important wintering habitat through seed-rich winter stubbles.
Finally in Strathspey we hosted a visit from agri-environment leads from Scottish Natural Heritage, SCPID (Scottish Inspection Division) and Scottish Government to two farms who are part of the Strathspey Waders and Wetlands initiative. The initiative, which has been in operation since 2000, covers 10,000 hectares of the floodplain along the river Strath. It is a collaboration between agricultural advisors, conservation bodies and farmers and aims to support one of the largest populations of waders on mainland Scotland. More than 50 agri- applications, covering 24 square kilometres, have been successfully submitted as part of the project. These plans include options focused on the wetlands, mown and grazed grasslands, species-rich grasslands and cropped fields. During the visit we were able to highlight the options on the ground and discuss with the farmers the challenges of delivering agri-environment alongside livestock production. Probably the best part of the day though was passing a field with a mixed flock of several hundred waders. Proof that the farmer’s hard work does deliver results.