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Calling Exmoor Farmers/Land managers with great ideas on sustainability!
A reminder that 'Farming in Protected Landscapes' (FiPL) programme funding is open to applications on Exmoor that can be delivered between this year and March 2025.
Funding can be sought for one-off projects, supporting farmers and land managers to carry out projects that:
🌱Aid #nature recovery
🌱Mitigate the impacts of #climatechange
🌱Support nature-friendly, #sustainablefarming businesses
🌱Promote easier access on public rights of way
And much more...
Here are just a few examples of what’s happening throughout Exmoor thanks to FIPL funding:
Over five kilometres of wildlife rich hedgerows, 540 hectares of regenerative farming and research into improved management across 700 hectares of moorland are among a raft of projects in Exmoor, which have been awarded funding through the government’s Farming in Protected Landscapes programme.
Tree planting and Orchard restoration
New trees within fields and on field boundaries create more habitat and link wooded areas for woodland wildlife. They are also needed to help deal with the impact of Ash Dieback disease. This includes the potential for reestablishment of orchards and historic landscape features.
Moorland grazing management
Innovative 'No Fence' radio collars have been fitted to cattle grazing on Molland moor (Photo). The collars are designed to encourage grazing in a way that breaks up Molinia grass (aka Purple Moor Grass) and improves the conditions for young heather and other wild plant species to regrow. It’s a virtual fencing technology that works with an app to train the animals to respond to an audio signal as they move towards a boundary zone.
Meadow Restoration
Species rich grasslands support a wide range of wildlife, including pollinators, they enhance the landscape, encourage water retention in the soil and help conserve any archaeological features present. This can include enhancing habitat corridors through the landscape and restoring meadows back to flower-rich condition.
Simon Gibson is a Farm Manager at lee Abbey:
"We made an application to improve access to some of Lee Abbey’s woodlands and repair a fallen dry-stone wall that was not keeping the famous ‘Valley of Rocks’ goats off our land. We were able to engage a group of volunteers to rebuild the wall on a difficult and steep cliff top and receive full funding for a tall fence to keep the goats off the wall.
Working with Exmoor National Park Authority on FIPL was a breath of fresh air. It was run by local people who knew what they were talking about, keen to make the available money work for our farm. The criteria were clear and simple without lots of codes and handbooks to plough through. I felt I could design the scheme I wanted and ask for the things I thought would achieve our aims.
We were delighted to work with the ENPA Rights of way team to convert some existing footpaths to permissive bridleways and adding some existing tracks, not previously open to the public, to the bridleway network. We were able to make more circular routes and link with a neighbour’s campsite, café and riding centre, with a new footpath creation allowing campers a better route to the beach.
We were also able to commission new signs made by the field services team at ENPA, made from local sustainable wood. The flexibility of the scheme also allowed for some money to fell some dangerous trees infected with ash dieback.
It’s proved to be a well-run and simple scheme to be involved with and we’re looking forward to what projects we can realise now we've had our second application approved!"
For more information visit:
Exmoor National Park - Farming in Protected Landscapes
Or email conservation@exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk and a FIPL Officer will be in touch.
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