| Devon leads bid to bring back species | |
|  | | Rolling fields in Copplestone, Devon |
| | Devon has been selected by the Government to pilot a scheme which encourages farmers to be more "green."
It's an attempt to bring back birds and other wildlife to our countryside. |
| | | Devon is being used to pilot a Government-backed bid to bring back the skylark, cornflower and other wild species, to Britain's farmland.
The scheme, which helps farmers to practise green farming methods, was announced by Environment Minister Michael Meacher on 27th February 2003.
It has the support of English Nature, the Government's wildlife advisers.
Pilot areas including Devon, County Durham, Berkshire and Lincolnshire are now open to the Entry Level Agri-environment schemes.
 | | A skylark |
Farmers are being encouraged to take part and help increase the populations of once common farmland birds, insects and wild plants that have been decimated over the last 50 years through over use of pesticides and other chemicals.
The big advantage of the scheme is that it will be open to all farmers and pay for wildlife friendly practices already in place, as well as encouraging new green initiatives.
Christine Reid, English Nature's agri-environment officer, said: "It's our best chance yet to buy back farmland wildlife.
"We urge farmers to come to the launch meetings to find out more about the scheme, how it will benefit the wildlife on their farms and what the financial rewards will be.
"It will allow farmers to make exactly the sorts of changes we want to see, throughout the countryside, to help our vanishing farmland wildlife.
"It will protect and even bring back, some of our much loved wildlife like the song thrush, the skylark, the bumblebee and the cornflower, whose numbers have plummeted in recent years.
"Good hedge and field margin management, along with practices to reduce soil erosion, and encourage winter stubble fields, will all provide a better environment for farmland wildlife," she said.
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