Habitat Action Plans

DARWIN SAID:
“Nearly all the land is ploughed, and is often left fallow, which gives the country a naked red look or not infrequently white, from a covering of chalk laid on by the farm. This. is said to have been the practice of the country ever since the period of the Romans …” Charles Darwin.

VISION:
Food production and biodiversity to be integrated and complementary.

Action for Habitats

Farmed Land

Land has been farmed in Britain since Neolithic times (6,000 B.C.). In England , tilled land forms 41% of the land area; 63% of arable land in Britain comprises of cereals (UK BAP). In Bromley, a significant proportion of the Green Belt countryside comprises of arable and horticultural land, hay and silage fields and horse paddock areas. A small number of landholdings are stocked with sheep on a permanent or seasonal basis, the majority on improved grassland.

This Habitat Action Plan incorporates the whole range of land types listed above and excludes all the specific habitats mentioned in previous Habitat Action Plans. Farmed land does not occur in isolation of course; but is juxtaposed to these habitats, and wildlife takes advantage of both.

The BBAP aims:

• To support the wildlife enhancement of existing farmed land.

• To translate national objectives at the local level, primarily through the uptake of Government grants.

Action being taken by 2009 includes:

• Organising workshops for farmers on habitat and species management.

• Monitor selected wildlife of field margins and set aside.

• Encourage the take up of agri-environment grant schemes which help to conserve biodiversity.

• Promote the value of farmland for biodiversity through guided walks.

To read a full copy of the Farmed Land Habitat Action Plan, click here.

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