The National Trust has set out plans to use Sir John Lawton's 'joined up approach' to create and restore 'priority' wildlife habitats on 10% of its land by 2025.
The plans will encourage sustainable farming practices in order to create 25,000ha of new habitats including chalk grasslands and arable field margins.
By 2025 the National Trust intends 50% of its farmland to be 'nature-friendly', with protected hedgerows, field margins, ponds, woodland and other habitats allowing plants and animals to thrive. The Trust also wants to encourage the return of once common species such as water voles adn cuckoos.
The plans will also aim to implement the joined-up approach to nature conservation called for in Sir John Lawton's 2010 report, Making Space for Nature. The report had found "compelling evidence that England's collection of wildlife sites are generally too small and too isolated, leading to declines in many of England's characteristic species."
Planting more hedgerows to act as 'wildlife corridors' for birds and bats, establishing more lowland meadows and creating wetlands could all help establish new habitats and will be considered in partnership will tenant farmers and other stakeholders.
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