A new report has been published by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) which assesses the effectiveness of using environmental stewardship agreements for managing historic parklands, with a series of recommendations as to how agri-environment schemes can be improved and funds prioritised in the future.
DEFRA writes:
The report first looks at the ‘ingredients’ that make up historic parklands, and considers their contribution to the distinctiveness of parklands in terms of their historic, ecological, landscape value, alongside their role in delivering ecosystems services. Both qualitative and quantitative methods are then used to evaluate the effectiveness of ES in conserving and enhancing these elements, using a sample of 25 designated and undesignated historic parklands distributed throughout England, and which are currently signed up to an ES scheme.
The results suggest that where ES is implemented it is largely successful in conserving/restoring historic parkland features. This is supported by the qualitative analysis and agreement-holder perceptions. Overall both analyses suggest that ES is making a significant, albeit partial, contribution to the conservation/ restoration of the parkland as a whole – and without it successful parkland conservation would in most instances not be possible.
In tandem with this, the report also sets out a desk-based methodology that can be used to prioritise historic parklands for funding through ES. It is designed for use by Natural England officers without a specialism in historic landscapes and is complemented by the earlier chapters which summarise the types of parkland and the key features that define them. This makes the report a detailed and informative ‘one stop shop’ handbook for the conservation of historic parklands in relation to ES.
View further information on the report and download the recommendations at DEFRA
