The Land of the Fanns Landscape Partnership Scheme and the RSPB are holding an event at Thames Chase Forest Centre on Wednesday 20 October 2021 to encourage local farmers to protect and encourage wildlife on their land.
The Land of the Fanns has partnered with the RSPB to run a year-long project engaging farmers across the area to help them better understand the biodiversity on their farms and how to enhance it, creating better habitat for wildlife. On 20 October, local farmers are invited to Thames Chase Forest Centre in Pike Lane, Upminster to find out more about the Farmed Landscape project and join a walk to explore Thames Chase and see its diversity of habitats. The free event is an opportunity for farmers to see conservation in action and have access to first-hand advice.
The Farmed Landscape project will show farmers the range of funding available to help with projects and tasks that will deliver benefits to wildlife. It will also show best practice in heritage and environmental areas and offer advice on creating nest boxes, wild bird cover, hedgerows and ponds.
Spanning 185 square kilometres from south west Essex to east London, the Land of the Fanns is an area diverse in landscapes with much of that landscape still agricultural. In this partnership with the RSPB, the Land of the Fanns aims to support farmers in their vital role as custodians of the land and as such, key to helping wildlife survive and thrive.
Andrew Gouldstone, senior site manager at RSPB Rainham Marshes said: “Farmland and the way it is managed is incredibly important for wildlife as it provides homes, food or shelter for many bird species including yellowhammer, yellow wagtail and skylark, as well as bats, dragonflies and butterflies. The joint RSPB and Land of the Fanns event for farmers on 20 October will be a great opportunity to offer support and advice to farmers who want to do more to support wildlife on their land, and practical steps about how they can go about doing that. We encourage local farmers to sign up to take part and very much look forward to seeing them there.“.
Dave Bigden, director, Thames Chase Community Forest said: “Thames Chase Trust is very pleased to be the host for this event at the Thames Chase Forest Centre. It will provide the opportunity to bring the Trust’s Trees for Climate programme to the attention of landowners and farmers, through which the Community Forest can provide vital funding for tree and woodland planting.
Landowners and farmers are vital stakeholders in the Community Forest and this event will provide the opportunity to learn more about how the work of Thames Chase Trust and the Community Forest partnership has made a clear difference to wildlife and peoples’ lives.
In its role as Lead Partner and Legacy Body for Land of the Fanns, Thames Chase will be working with all partners, including landowners and farmers to refresh the Thames Chase Plan in 2022 and this event will help to raise awareness to this emerging opportunity for cohesive and connected landscape-scale working into the future.”
The event at Thames Chase is free to attend for any farmer in the Land of the Fanns area but registration is essential. To book a place, please go to www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/land-of-the-fanns-farmed-landscape-project-tickets-178684489117. Please note this event is aimed specifically at farmers. To find out about how you can make your own garden better for wildlife, please go to www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/gardening-for-wildlife
The Land of the Fanns is a unique £2.4 million Landscape Partnership Scheme, awarded £1.36 million by the National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2016. The five-year Scheme brings together nine partner organisations with a commitment to work towards a shared goal of enabling local people to discover, restore and enjoy what’s special about the local landscape. Other partners are: Essex County Council, Forestry England, Thames Estuary Partnership, Brentwood Borough Council, London Borough of Havering, London Borough of Barking & Dagenham, Thames21 and Thurrock Council.
