2 minute read
Wilder landscapes in focus
FOCUS ON Wilder landscapes Thank you
Thanks to your support, we can work with farmers and landowners across the county to restore local wildlife.
Wildlifefriendly farming
A wilder Suffolk
Our vision for a Wilder Suffolk hinges on changes to our farmed landscape, and Suffolk Wildlife Trust is investing in the future of our local farming community. To lead this change, we have recruited a team of farmland wildlife advisers, to help farmers shift to more wildlifefriendly farming.
Across the UK, The Wildlife Trusts are calling for at least 30% of our land and sea to be connected and protected for nature’s recovery by 2030. Making more space for nature will give our struggling wildlife the chance to recover and restore beautiful wild places – places that store carbon and help to tackle the climate crisis. Connecting habitats along river valleys and via road verges, woodlands and hedgerows is vital to allow wildlife to move and, where possible, increase in abundance.
For Suffolk, a big part of this work will focus on investing in farmland, making it more sustainable, more resilient and to help it thrive with wildlife once more.
Farming for the future
Having worked for several years with many farmers in Suffolk on a wide range of projects, from simple actions to whole farm transformations, we recognise that the greatest uplift for nature will be in Suffolk’s farmland of the future. As such, we are building on our existing work with farmers and farmer clusters in Suffolk. Suffolk Wildlife Trust is uniquely placed to support local farmers in accessing the knowledge and specialisms that farmers may require in the future.
Farmland Wildlife Advisory team
Our Farmland Advisory team will support farmers to develop sustainable, nature-friendly farming businesses. We are aiming to provide a wide range of important advice and support, including traditional and new approaches to agrienvironment, novel funding streams for specific projects and developing approaches to blended finance in the agricultural support system.
Bringing nature back to Suffolk’s farmland is part of our vision for a Wilder Suffolk, and you can get involved. We are looking for Farmland Wildlife Volunteers to help with wildlife survey work, or if you’re part of the farming community, find out how we can help you.
What next?
Although a time of great challenge, this is also a time of great optimism. There is a will for change and gathering momentum from farmers to seize the moment and play their part in bringing nature back to our farmed landscapes.
Sam Hanks SWT Wilder Landscapes Manager with land owner John Sanderson .
Yellowhammers are now a Red List species due to declines across our farmland.
Find out more
suffolkwildlifetrust.org/wilderlandscapes
