Key objectives for biodiversity in field margins:

• Raise awareness of the importance of arable field margins for biodiversity.
• Review the extent of extent and quality of arable field margin management in Barnsley.
• Promote and support good field margin management practice to improve biodiversity, including through stewardship schemes.
• Promote creation of arable field margins as opportunities arise and restoration and improvement of degraded arable field margins.
• Collect and analyse records of populations and assemblages of wildlife species in good quality field margins across Barnsley.

Roles:

Landowners -in particular those that cultivate their land:

• introduce and manage field margins  for wildlife.

Barnsley Council: In planning decisions

• can set conditions to ensure that the biodiversity value of existing field margins is maintained and potentially enhanced.

Natural England

• administers Stewardship Schemes

Naturalists, groups and volunteers

• can help provide records to the Barnsley Biological Record centre of the existence and condition of field margins and the wildlife species found there.

Actions taken

• A number of farmers include headland strips and other features for wildlife.

Future actions

• Review the numbers of farms with -and the extent of- arable field margin management
• Encourage wider participation from the farming community in environment land management schemes involving arable field margins

Marking progress

• No loss of existing field margins of value for biodiversity.
• Land management measures to benefit wildlife in arable fields
• Numbers and extent of field margins in ‘favourable condition’.
• Creation of low input cultivated, permanent grass, flower rich and wild bird seed arable field margins or blocks.
• Participation in environmental land management schemes.

Arable Field Margins Actions