- This page is on the organisation; for the general concept, see Ecological stewardship
Environmental Stewardship is an agri-environment scheme run by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in England. Stewardship is personal responsibility for taking care of another person's property or financial affairs or in religious orders taking care of finances The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs ( Defra) is the United Kingdom government department responsible for environmental protection England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland It was formally launched on 18 March 2005, although the first agreements did not start until 1 August 2005. Events 37 - The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius ' will and proclaims Caligula emperor Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 30 BC - Octavian (later known as Augustus enters Alexandria, Egypt, bringing it under the control of the Roman Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
The scheme, which replaces the older Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Area schemes, is composed of two levels - the Entry Level Scheme (ELS), or Organic Entry Level Scheme (OELS) for Organic farms, and the Higher Level Scheme (HLS). The Countryside Stewardship Scheme is an Agri-environment scheme run by the United Kingdom Government set up in 1991 An Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA is a type of designation for an Agricultural area which needs special protection because of its Landscape, Wildlife Organic farming is a form of agriculture that relies on Crop rotation, Green manure, Compost, Biological pest control, and mechanical Cultivation
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Entry Level Scheme
Anyone who owns, farms or manages agricultural land can apply to take out an ELS agreement by contacting the appropriate regional office of Natural England by letter or phone. Natural England is a Non-Departmental Public Body of the UK government. Online applications for ELS applications are currently being piloted.
Applicants for an ELS agreement will receive a scheme handbook in addition to the application pack. The handbook details the options for management that the farmer can choose to apply on their land. Each option carries a points score, either per agreement (for example for completing the mandatory Farm Environment Record (FER)), per hectare (e. Explanation The hectare is commonly used in most countries around the world especially in domains concerned with land planning and management such as Agriculture, g. grassland management), per metre (e. g. hedgerow management) or per feature (e. g. in-field trees). The scheme is non-competitive, so provided the grand total of the points is at least equal to 30 points per hectare averaged over the farm (i. e. for a 100 hectare farm 3000 points are required) then the application will become an agreement. All agreements are paid at a flat rate of £30 per hectare per year, and last 5 years.
Organic Entry Level Scheme
This is very similar in nature to the Entry Level Scheme, except that it covers organic land only. Most of the options are the same in ELS and OELS, but some that are not appropriate (e. g. reduced artificial fertiliser inputs) are omitted. Like ELS the agreements last 5 years, but OELS land is paid at £60/hectare. It is possible to combine OELS with regular ELS on farms with a mixture of organic and conventionally farmed land.
Higher Level Scheme
As the name suggests this is more targeted than (O)ELS, and not all land is eligible. It is designed to offer more support to more active and environmentally beneficial management practices. Unlike ELS it also offers grants for capital works, such as the restoration of traditional farm buildings. All HLS agreements must be underpinned with basic management from an ELS or OELS agreement, but in contrast to these schemes the agreement lasts 10 years. All agreements start at one of four start dates at three-monthly intervals through the year. The first HLS agreements started on 1 February 2006. Events 1327 - Teenaged Edward III is crowned King of England, but the country is ruled by his mother Queen Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. The delay in the launch of HLS was a result of problems with the department's computer system, "Genesis", built by Atos Origin. Atos Origin SA ( is an international IT Corporation which operates in 40 countries worldwide with over 500000 employees
The application procedure is basically the same as for ELS but, due to the added complexity and competitiveness of the scheme and its highly targeted nature, a visit from a Natural England advisor is required. The payment received for HLS agreements is dependent on the precise options chosen, rather than a flat rate.
Objectives
Environmental Stewardship has a number of wide ranging objectives, which include:-
- Protection of water and soil
- Prevention of erosion and water pollution
- Flood management
- Wildlife conservation
- Protect archaeological sites and historic features
- Provide public access to the countryside
- Conserve rare traditional livestock breeds and varieties
External links
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land a deluge Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos Rural areas can be large and isolated (also referred to as "the country" and/or "the countryside over the course of time Livestock is the term used to refer (singularly or plurally to a Domesticated Animal intentionally reared in an agricultural setting to produce such as FoodDapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic