Facilitating land management in the Surrey Hills

 

Positive outcomes for Facilitation Fund Group at West Surrey Greensands

 

The Facilitation Fund is part of Countryside Stewardship (CS). The fund supports individuals who act as facilitators to bring together groups of farmers, foresters and other land managers to improve environmental outcomes in their local area. The Facilitation Fund was established in 2015 and has set up 180 groups with 4,000 members of farmers and land managers, developing their knowledge and skills to improve nature restoration in their local areas.

 

Monitoring and evaluation studies have found that by coordinating action and working together, groups have achieved greater environmental benefits than would be the case from individual actions alone.

 

Lantern established and successfully applied for funding for two of these Facilitation Fund (FF) groups and this case study focuses on one such group - The West Surrey Greensands (WSG) group, established in January 2020 with 15 members covering an area of 3,474 hectares. The group was initiated and developed as a landowner led partnership with support from Surrey Hills AONB (SHAONB). Amy Hammond of Lantern was invited to be the lead facilitator with Petra Billings (co-facilitator), Woodland and Ecology Advisor, providing facilitation and technical input and Shaun Page (co-facilitator), Farm Environment Advisor, providing local landholding knowledge and technical input across a range of topics.

 

The West Surrey Greensands area is adjacent to the existing Greenscape FF project and further north is the North Downs Escarpment FF project. This presented a unique opportunity to bring together three groups of landowners working across different landscapes but with shared aspirations and objectives. The WSG group proposed to work closely with the other two groups, enabling joint training offerings and opportunities for collaborative working.

 

This project was extended due to the impact of COVID-19 and training events were postponed due to lockdown restrictions. During this period, we focused on communications through the WhatsApp group and emails. This ensured that members and facilitators remained in contact and urgent information was communicated while members dealt with the impacts of COVID-19.

 

The priority training topics identified were: Connectivity and hedgerows - management of existing and creating new hedgerows (including dormice). Heathland - management of this habitat and how surrounding landholdings can support species through their management activities. Biodiversity monitoring.

 

Over the course of four years WSG met its objectives and achieved the following outcomes:

 

• Improved member understanding of, and connectivity between, priority habitats (including heathland, open water, reedbeds, alder carr, wood pasture, parkland, hedgerows and woodland) and managing land for improved biodiversity.

• Increased member knowledge of managing for biodiversity while at the same time dealing with public access.

• Awareness of what neighbours and other members are doing through shared updates in newsletters and the WhatsApp group.

• Member understanding of the impacts of climate change on plant and animal species and the need to take this into consideration when planning management activities.

• Maps produced illustrating dormouse and butterfly distribution across WSG area.

• Members equipped with the skills and knowledge to apply for CS funding and/or update existing agreements.

• As a result of shared interest, a WSG member is now leading investigations into the potential for water vole reintroduction in the area.

• Increased understanding among members of the importance of soil health and how to manage and monitor it.

• Group understanding of the needs of bats, their importance in the Surrey Hills and the legal requirements for monitoring bats. Also methods for detecting and identifying bats.

• Connections with external organisations such as the British Trust for Ornithology were also established.

• Successful funding applications to the Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) fund.

• Training events and supporting activities have provided knowledge to members on subjects related to their land and adjacent land holdings, covering priority habitats, priority species, landscape, climate change and historic environment, e.g. WWII cisterns. In addition, the topics are driving collaborative practical projects for members.

• Member understanding of each other’s landholdings has increased as a result of all our events taking place at member sites.

• Increased number of members in the group, increasing connectivity potential across the project area. By the end of the initial funding period, the group had 21 members covering 4,193 hectares.

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