Forgotten Lands ELMS Test

The Farmer Network Ltd - 2022
Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS)

In coordination with The Framer Network, CBDC worked with a group of farmers from 21 farms within the “Forgotten Lands” area of north-eastern Cumbria which is east of the A7 stretching north from Hadrian’s Wall to the Scottish border.  This is a sparsely populated very rural area with family farms, mostly of cattle and sheep, open fells, Roman and medieval remains and a deep cultural heritage.  The area is part of the Forestry Investment Zone with areas of commercial forestry as well as smaller scale deciduous woodland. The project was funded by DEFRA and supported by Natural England.

The aim of this ELMS test was for farmers to understand how to identify and record the natural capital on their farms. It enabled farmers to be actively involved in mapping their natural capital which will give them a more thorough understanding and appreciation of what they have on their land.  It will help the farmers in identifying the data/information required for their own Land Management Plan whilst helping them to cooperate with neighbours to provide habitat connectivity and contributing to an overall Plan for the area.

ELMS: Forgotten Lands Interactive Map
Species Recording

A number of training and workshops session were organized with framers to explain about methods and protocols for recording species. All the records were checked and mapped against the Cumbria existing species density layer. The farmers mapping records show that the ELMS project can help in enhancing species recording activity by providing accessibility for improving recoding on private land areas.

Habitat Survey

All habitat survey data were digitised and a total of 17 habitat maps were created (a map for each surveyed farm). These habitat data can help in filling gabs in Cumbria habitat basemap and also provide ground-truthing for habitat data collated from National sources (e.g. Natural England and Forestry Commission) and from old habitat surveys within the project area.

The following is a list of the mapped ‘Priority Habitats:

– Deciduous woodland

– Purple moor grass and rush pastures

– Lowland meadows

– Upland hay meadows

– Lowland fens

– River

– Hedgerows

– Wood pasture and parkland

– Pond

Other habitats were also mapped including:

– Coniferous woodland

– Scrub

– Unimproved grassland

– Mixed woodland

– Semi-improved grassland

– Improved grassland

– Wet Grassland

  
Contribution to the Cumbria LNR Strategy

According to DEFRA, Local Nature Recovery (LNR) is the more ambitious successor to Countryside Stewardship, paying for the right things in the right places and supporting local collaboration to make space for nature in the farmed landscape. This scheme will particularly contribute to our targets for trees, peatland restoration, habitat creation and restoration and natural flood management.

The following maps show, the Cumbria LNR habitat network for hay meadows  and purple moor grass and rush pastures  within the project area before and after adding the ELMS habitat survey data.  Hopefully, these maps can give examples of importance of the ELMS projects in providing accessibility for surveying farm lands and identifying habitats for improving mapping of the LNR Habitat Networks.

For more information please download the mapping guidance note and the CLNRN guidance note to local authority.

Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre

The Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre at Tullie House Museum, Carlisle keeps wildlife information for the county of Cumbria. Tullie House Museum, in its role as a local natural history museum, has collected and disseminated records of wildlife in Cumbria since its inception in 1893. From the early 1990s the Museum has developed a computerised database of species and habitat records in Cumbria and has taken the central role in providing a local biodiversity data service for the county. This role was restyled as Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre (CBDC) in 2010, a not-for-profit organisation hosted by Tullie House Museum and advised by local stakeholders.
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreThursday, December 7th, 2023 at 7:24am
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Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreThursday, November 2nd, 2023 at 1:18am
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Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreSunday, October 15th, 2023 at 8:53pm
Hospice at Home needs your help in making wreaths. Any farmers, etc out there that would like a holly bush trimmed for free please see the link below.
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Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreThursday, September 28th, 2023 at 11:12pm
Everyone can do something for nature and it need not take too much time. When you are out and about this weekend, record what nature you see (trees, other plants, birds, mammals, inverts, fungi), where and when - then send to your local records centre. For Cumbria - that's us!

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Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreMonday, September 18th, 2023 at 1:04am
Great to see the results of the #BigButterflyCount. Just from personal observation, there seem to have been lots of butterflies this year - including this week on this Hylotelephium!

A reminder that if you have news for the CBDC newsletter, please send in by 26th September and share across the Cumbria wildlife recording community.