Common Agricultural Policy spells Cuts for Conservation

Froglife has been following the changes in the Common Agricultural Policy with interest. In a new feature covering policy issues, Public Engagement Officer Liam Atherton summarises some of the implications for our reptiles and amphibians on farmland.

The European Commission has announced its proposal for the Union’s post-2013 financial commitments, and there can be no doubt that it has failed to deliver effectively for conservation. There has been a 5% reduction in funds for wildlife-friendly farming, despite an overall increase in the EU budget, meaning that proportionally it is now much less represented in the EU’s vision for the future.

Agriculture accounts for a massive 77% of land use in the UK, and an average of 50% amongst other EU member states, highlighting the considerable implications agricultural land management can have for wildlife conservation. Through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), EU funding is the primary driver of wildlife-friendly farming via the Agri-Environment schemes- schemes which are now under threat in the advent of funding cuts. The financial incentives available to farm owners in return for wildlife-friendly farming are central to the delivery of environmental enhancements at a local scale, ultimately providing a national framework for the conservation of wildlife.

Agriculture account for 77% of land use in the UK

“Agri-environment grants have been fundamental to delivering changes in the farmland habitats about Carmunnock in the south of Glasgow; this has included the direct funding of works but also helping to attract other funding streams,” explains Keith Watson, Biodiversity Officer for Glasgow City Council. “A core aim has been to develop a network of species rich grassland and to date this has seen over 12 hectares created and in total the sympathetic management of nearly 40 hectares,” adds Keith. “Other provisions such as unharvested crops and mown grassland for birds have enhanced Skylark populations and encouraged large flocks of overwintering birds, and recently seen the return of the Tree Sparrow. Additionally works have seen over a kilometre of hedgerows planted or managed, and the creation of numerous small ponds primarily for amphibians and aquatic invertebrates.”

The hedgerows, ponds and meadows that can benefit reptiles and amphibians are exactly the frontline benefits that are now under serious threat, and wildlife needs the support of the public now more than ever before. Although welcome proposals in the Government’s recent Environment White Paper detail plans for a series of ‘Nature Improvement Areas’, specifically through farmland improvements, the fact remains that without sufficient funding to support delivery, the proposals become little more than words on paper. It should be noted however that cuts may have been significantly deeper were they not opposed by the campaigning efforts of Birdlife International and the RSPB.

Nonetheless, in the fight for wildlife conservation it simply is not enough to say that it could have been worse, when in truth it could have been much, much better. The conservation of our native wildlife now relies on the delivery of available funds in the most effective ways possible, and in farmers taking innovative steps to be part of conservation efforts.

• You can find out more about helping amphibians through pond creation on farmland in Froglife’s advice booklet here
• You can find out more about Agri-Environment schemes in your area via the following links:
 - England
 - Scotland
 - Wales
 - Northern Ireland
 - Republic of Ireland
• Advice on reptile-friendly farming tips is available here
• Birdlife International’s report on CAP reform is available here


You can support our work conserving reptiles and amphibians and reptiles for as little as £1.50 a month. Sign up as a Froglife Friend and help save species and habitats here.




Tweet