Sustainable uplands - 'farming' for the future

Warning - The safari is about to rant

Press release from RSPB

North West drought hitting wildlife in Lancashire, says RSPB
Wildlife is suffering in one of the toughest dry spells in North West England for more than 80 years, say conservationists.RSPB wetland reserves near the Ribble are suffering from parched conditions and there are warnings that the wildlife they support could suffer unless substantial rain comes soon. As well as thousands of wading birds, ducks and geese, these sites are home to a wide range of fish and insects.Also in Lancashire the United Utilities Stocks reservoir in Bowland is very low and the surrounding bog land has dried up, offering little in the way of food for young birds such as ring ouzels and grouse. However, a recently completed project by United Utilities, supported by the RSPB, offers hope for a future more resistant to drought. For the past five years the Sustainable Catchment Management Project (SCaMP) has seen the water company, its Bowland estate tenants and conservationists work together to restore wetlands and re-wet peat bogs, plant new woodlands and restrict grazing in sensitive areas. "Wildlife relies on water just as we do, from brown trout and dragonflies to wetland birds such as snipe and lapwing," said RSPB Bowland Project officer Pete Wilson. "Droughts like this one can have a real impact."But over the next few decades we should reap the benefits of the SCaMP project, making our precious uplands more resistant to the impacts of drought. The measures we have taken to keep the fells wet and prevent peat erosion should result in a gradual improvement in the habitat, which will benefit birds and other wildlife."This work should also protect the quality and quantity of water available for millions of people in the North West as there will be less peat being lost to discolour the water and fill reservoirs with sediment."

Watched BBC's Countryfile last night and was interested in HRH's new scheme to help struggling family farms but why does everyone think/believe that the uplands need to stay the same. HRH BTW don't half look like our Pops - it's the ears!

One farmer waved his hand and basically said you need my sheep to keep this view as it is - wasn't it his sheep that made the view to the detriment of everythng else that lives/d there. It seems the RSPB and UU have the answer right there, time to move on; OK UU's primaruy business isn't faming and neither is the RSPB's but both do understand sympathetic land management. Good upland management is great for wildlife, conservation and water , recreation etc but probably no good what-so-ever for sheep.

Perhaps hill farmers who are earning pitances keeping too many sheep should be renamed custodians of the uplands and paid more from tax payers money to support upland ecology ie less sheep but more trees, stopping-up upland drainage, miles of dry stone wall repaired or removed if redundant, miles of hedge planted or layed, lengths of right-of-way repaired/maintained. All this is just a better version of the current stewardship schemes

With farm gate prices so low for beef (£1.20/live kg), lamb (£1.50/live kg) and milk(23p/litre) it might be about time to launch a Fairtrade type scheme for some of our own producers but would you pay £20 a pound for lamb chops - not likely - may be the middle men could cut their profits - again unlikely! So there has to be some other way to improve their livevlihoods and that may have to mean they forget about sheep to a large extent. Then the chap said it cost him more to shear the sheep than the wool was worth - in a nation crying out fro insulation why is it that in B&Q across the way sheep's wool insulation is three times the price of the 'normal' stuff and only weirdos like the Safari want it but we can't afford it...make it cheaper or at least pay a fair price at the farm for it!

Still like our idea of a Green Tractor logo for food produced on organic or farms under the Stewardship schemes - we'd be prepared to pay a few pence more for produce we knew had helped wildlife on the farm...would you?

Was actually allowed out for an evening visit to Patch 1 with Wifey and Frank yesterday. A female House Sparrow chirrped from the top of a telegraph pole on the 'wrong' side of the main road...so just outside our recording area. Blackcap still at the Golden Triangle and another in the park. Couple of Swallows over the 'sports' field but most noticeable were the butterflies. Meadow Browns all over the shop, plenty of Large Skippers and without looking too hard it seemed like there were quite a few Small Skippers too. Nice to be out, the White Letter Hairstreaks will be on the wing soon provided their Elm trees haven't succumbed to the ravages of Dutch Elm Disease.

And our bro-in-law came round this arvo and fixed the Base Camp garden wildlife viewing platform aka the bench - many many thanks to him.

Where to next? Well the bench is repaired so it'll be back out there if the chill wind drops.

In the meantime let us know how the repairs are going in your outback.

PS all this farming rant has nothing to do with any farms we are or have been associated with - ours was a lowland farm miles from the nearest molehill.