Reconciling pastoral agriculture and nature conservation: developing a co-management approach in the English uplands

Christopher J Short,Janet Dwyer

doi:10.1186/2041-7136-2-13

Abstract

The article assesses the influence of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on the pastoral farming systems in a National Park within the south west of England and more recent attempts to use innovative and participatory techniques to reconcile pastoral farming systems with wildlife management. The paper confirms evidence that the economic sustainability of farm businesses in the UK involved in pastoral farming is reducing, and that wildlife-orientated schemes are changing traditional farming systems in a way that might not be in the long-term interest of wildlife. The data gathered raise questions about the cost-effectiveness of the current environmental approaches, which are government-run with centrally determined prescriptions relating to the natural resource and wildlife. Drawing on the concept of co-management, an alternative approach is identified and explored with both farmers and nature conservation regulators. This approach places more emphasis upon adjusting the traditional farming system of this marginal type of farming to align with the sustainable management of a fragile ecosystem.

Highlights

The English uplands are characterised by open landscapes of moorland peaks and pastoral farmed valleys with small woods and a very low proportion of cultivated land
In order to meet multiple state and community objectives, a co-management approach is beneficial in securing long-lasting governance
This finding is reinforced by Reed (2008) and Leys and Vanclay (2011) who both identified the need for a greater use of participatory techniques in environmentally diverse and agriculturally marginal areas

Summary

Background

The English uplands are characterised by open landscapes of moorland peaks and pastoral farmed valleys with small woods and a very low proportion of cultivated land. During the 1970s and 1980s, there is evidence that a combination of market trends and CAP support payments encouraged many hill farms to increase stock numbers and the intensity of land management in these areas (Baldock et al 2002). This concern explains why many upland areas have been targeted with a variety of environmental schemes since the late 1980s, offering payments to farmers for reductions in stocking levels per hectare, notably on the moorland areas of the farm This is matched by regulations linked to the receipt of support payments (often called cross compliance) to prevent severe overgrazing, and has been applied to agricultural policy support since 1991. Having outlined the traditional pastoral approach in the English uplands, the section will look at the economic impact of recent changes in the industry

Methods

Findings

Conclusions