FIELD MARGINS AND BEETLE BANKS

ACTION PLAN

Compiled by the Northamptonshire Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group

The Farmland Sub Group of the Northamptonshire Biodiversity Partnership has developed this Action Plan. The Group consists of representatives from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group and the National Farmers Union.

Key Partners: Private Sector National Farmers Union

Voluntary Sector Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group

1 INTRODUCTION

Biodiversity in arable fields will most often be greatest at the field edge. This margin of perennial vegetation acts as both a habitat in it’s own right and as a buffer between farm operations and adjacent habitats such as hedges and watercourses. In an increasingly arable county like Northamptonshire, field margins have a considerable role to play in conserving key farmland species and enhancing the wider environment (eg. water quality).

A well-managed, diverse field margin has considerable potential value. It will provide undisturbed cover for nesting birds and over-wintering invertebrates, a food source for nectar feeding insects and a year round feeding for foraging birds. Populations of rare arable plants can be highest at the field edge.

2 CURRENT STATUS

Associated Plans:

Cropped Land

Hedgerows

Lowland Calcareous Grassland

Lowland Neutral Grassland

Acid Grassland and Heathland

Grey Partridge

2.1 Definitions

A field margin is any area that forms the perimeter of an agricultural field. The width of field margins will vary considerably and a precise definition of scale or habitat type is inappropriate, as this will vary depending on soil type, farming practices and species targeted for conservation.

2.1.1 Conservation Headlands

Some field margins will make a greater contribution to farmland biodiversity by continued annual cultivation (without the use of pesticides) so as to encourage rare arable plants, associated invertebrates and the farmland birds that feed on them. Such a habitat could be described as a ‘conservation headland’.

Field margins with a perennial vegetation cover will support different flora and fauna. Almost all field boundaries will have some such margin. At their best, these will approximate to a stable MG1 (unmanaged grass) plant community of very high value to invertebrates and birds, at worst it will be dominated by aggressive arable weeds such as cleavers, bindweed and sterile brome.

2.1.2 Beetle Banks

A beetle bank is an isolated strip of perennial vegetation in an arable field. Most often it is not connected with other linear features and was developed as a means of re-introducing a stable invertebrate habitat into large arable fields. A beetle bank tends to support a different range of species than field margins (eg those that prefer more open conditions, such as Skylark).

2.2 Local Status

Logic suggests that if every field edge is a field margin this habitat is very extensive. The quality of the resource, however, varies widely and most margins are now species poor and narrow due to the factors outlined below.

In 1998 MAFF figures showed a total length of ‘2 metre and 6 metre Extended Stewardship Margins’ in Northamptonshire of 117,795 metres.

3 CHARACTERISTIC SPECIES

3.1 National Priority Species

Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix), Corn Bunting (Miliaria calandra), Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata) and Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)

3.2 Local Priority Species:

Barn owl (Tyto alba), Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), Blue Pimpernel (Anagallis arvensis) and Broad-leaved spurge (Euphorbia platyphyllos).

See Appendix 3 Farmland Priority Species for full lists.

4 CURRENT FACTORS AFFECTING THE HABITAT

· Ploughing/cultivating right up to field boundary and fencing tight up against hedges.

· Drift of fertilisers and pesticides adversely affecting plant diversity. The effect of drift is to encourage aggressive weeds such as cleavers at the expense of finer and more desirable plants.

· Use of the margin as a ‘sterile strip’ with herbicides or cultivation. This was a widespread practice in the seventies and eighties, but is now becoming less popular.

· Over-management through regular cutting to keep margins ‘neat & tidy’.

· Concerns over uncropped margins and Arable Area Payments Scheme submissions. European rules dictate that the crop should start no more than two metres from the centre of the hedge. This encourages the farmer to cut back boundary hedges.

· The limited plant diversity of newly sown margins and difficulties with practical management on very narrow areas.

· Past limitations on funding for Countryside Stewardship. The margins option of Countryside Stewardship has proved very popular with farmers and recently there has been more interest than could be funded. The newly announced (2000) increased level of funding will help considerably.

· Set-aside width. Formerly this was 20 metres, but recent changes allow 10 metre margins to be established next to watercourses.

6. FIELD MARGINS AND BEETLE BANKS OBJECTIVES AND ACTIONS

	OBJECTIVE	ACTION	LEAD AGENCY	PARTNERS	TARGETS
6.1	Policy and Legislation
	Objective One: Ensure that BAP species and their habitats are given an appropriate level of protection in local plans	Include habitat and species protection policies in local plans and/or supplementary guidance	Local Authorities		By 2003
	Objective Two: Increase funding for agri-environment schemes that benefit field margins	Lobby central government and the EU	National Farmers Union	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, Country Landowners Assocaition	Increased funding by 2004
	Objective Three: Increase the contribution that agri-environment schemes can make to the enhancement of farmland biodiversity	Lobby for increased flexibility within Countryside Stewardship and/or the extension of Arable Stewardship areas and increased flexibility of set-aside	RSPB	Wildlife Trust, Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	Throughout Action Plan Period
6.2	Site Safeguard and Management
	Objective Four: Increase the length and quality of field margins in the county	Promote the Countryside Stewardship field margins options	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, Land Agents, consultants	150Km/yr
	Objective Five: To increase the effectiveness of extended field margins in improving water quality	Develop advisory material/project focusing on water quality concerns	Environment Agency	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	Produce and publicise advisory material by2002
	Objective Six: Ensure that changes to management do not detract from existing interest. This will be especially important where arable weeds may be present	Provide guidance for farm conservation advisors and agronomists	Wildlife Trust	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, Moulton College	Training available from 2002
		Provide training for farmers, possibly through The new ‘Vocational Training Scheme’		Wildlife Trust,	Training available from 2002
6.3	Advisory
	Objective Seven: Ensure that a comprehensive advisory service is available to land managers	Increase the availability of low cost, high quality advisory services to farmers and landowners on hedgerow management	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	Local Authorities, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	Appoint a second Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group advisor by 2003
		Ensure that independent consultants/ land agents are fully involved in the county biodiversity plan and are kept informed of changing priorities	County Council		Throughout Action Plan Period
	Objective Eight: Use demonstration sites and farmer experience to highlight the value of margins and how they fit in with commercial farming	Organise/promote farm walks	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Land agents	4 farm walks/yr starting in 2001
	Objective Nine: Concentrate effort on areas of high biodiversity (e.g. Barn Owl sites, farmland bird ‘hot spots)	Determine the location of priority areas	Wildlife Trust	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, RSPB, British Trust for Ornithology, Hawk and Owl Trust	Key areas to be determined by 2002
		Increase awareness of where these areas are in Northamptonshire	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	Wildlife Trust	By 2003
	Objective Ten: To conserve key farmland bird territories and habitats over a larger range than is often found on individual farms	Explore the possibility of parish level or group farm conservation work	County Council (in conjunction with Parish Tree Wardens/ Path Wardens/ Pocket Park Groups)	RSPB, Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, National Farmers Union, Country Landowners Association, Local Authorities	Establish interest in 2001
		To target new Countryside Stewardship agreements to areas adjacent to existing schemes	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	Land agents, independent advisers, Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	Throughout Action Plan Period
6.4	Future Research and Monitoring
	Objective Eleven: Determine the effectiveness of local field margins for improving farmland biodiversity	Develop a local monitoring programme to record populations of farmland birds	Wildlife Trust	British Trust for Ornithology, RSPB, Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	Commence 2003
		Promote the RSPB ‘Volunteer & Farmer Alliance’ survey work	RSPB		5 farms/year starting in 2001
	Objective Twelve: Research and disseminate ‘best practice’ in establishment of margins and methods of enhancing their diversity	Liaise with key agronomists and farmers	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	By 2002 and Throughout Action Plan Period
6.5	Communications and Publicity
	Objective Thirteen: Promote the wildlife value of the farmland habitat	Organise farm walks, events and training courses	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	Land Agents	Throughout Action Plan Period
	Objective Fourteen: Publicise the progress made in delivering this Action Plan in a BAP Annual Report			BAP Partners	Annual

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Return to Contents

1 INTRODUCTION

2 CURRENT STATUS

2.1 Definitions

3 CHARACTERISTIC SPECIES

5 CURRENT ACTION