Natural England

The Environmental Stewardship scheme can help secure a healthier future for England’s farmland birds, according to Natural England, the Government’s champion for wildlife.

Entry Level Stewardship will raise the quality of the countryside benefiting widespread species such as skylark and yellowhammer, whilst Higher Level Stewardship will target more range-restricted species such as the tree sparrow and corn bunting.

Dr Helen Phillips, Natural England's Chief Executive, said: "Turning around declining populations of farmland birds will rely in large part on the success of Environmental Stewardship, a top priority for Natural England. Working with our partners we will make an important contribution to the Government's farmland birds PSA target.

"Farmers and land managers have a major role to play in improving England for wildlife. Natural England's new land management campaign intends to ensure that their environmental improvements are spread across the whole countryside and are recognised and enjoyed by everyone," Dr Phillips added.

Natural England will also work to ensure the effective targeting of the scheme and the provision of high quality advice at the farm gate.


Ends

For more information please contact the Natural England press office on: 01242 533306 or 07970 098 005 (24 hours).

Notes to Editors

This press release is issued today (19 October) in response to Defra's announcement on the farmland bird population index.

Environmental Stewardship
1.  Environmental Stewardship was launched on 3 March 2005.  It is composed of three tiers: Entry Level Stewardship (ELS), a whole farm scheme which aims to encourage farmers and land managers across England to deliver simple but effective environmental management; Organic Entry Level Stewardship (OELS), which is open to farmers who manage all or part of their land organically; and Higher Level Stewardship (HLS), which, when combined with ELS or OELS options, aims to deliver significant environmental benefits in high priority areas.  Scheme uptake is as follows:

Tier	Agreements
Entry Level/Organic Entry Level	24,945
Higher Level**	839
Current Environmental Stewardship uptake	25,784

** The large majority of HLS agreements are underpinned by an ELS or OELS agreement.

2.  Environmental Stewardship builds on the very best practice already evident in British farming.  In particular, it takes forward Defra’s two flagship agri-environment schemes, Environmentally Sensitive Areas and Countryside Stewardship.  The primary objectives of the scheme are to: