The Woodland Trust has welcomed the new National Pollinator Strategy (NPS), launched yesterday by the Secretary of State for Environment and Rural Affairs. It is encouraged to hear Ms Truss talk of a healthy natural environment and economic growth being interdependent.
However, the Trust believes the decline in bees and other pollinators is just one indicator of a much wider underlying problem that must not be ignored.
Austin Brady, Woodland Trust Director of Conservation, said: “The NPS is an essential first step to tackle a very serious issue, but it’s important not to lose sight of the bigger picture here. A whole range of habitats and species contribute to a healthy environment, and these wider on-going losses must also be addressed.
“A diverse and well-connected landscape of varying habitat and structure is vital to allow species to flourish and to support the much-needed natural services that we are losing - such as pollination. We are working with farmers and landowners to incorporate trees, hedgerows and shelterbelts into their holdings, and to manage existing woodland, thanks to growing evidence that careful use and siting of trees can improve the productivity and value of farmland, as well as the environment as a whole.”
Carefully sited tree shelter belts protect valuable top soils from water and wind erosion, increase yields by improving crop water efficiency, help intercept pollutants by reducing runoff and increase water infiltration rates by 60 times within just three years of planting.
As well working with farmers to design and carry out tree planting schemes on their land, the Woodland Trust has also joined forces with Harper Adams University to further examine the benefits of integrating trees into agricultural systems in the UK.
To find out more about the support offered to landowners and farmers by Woodland Trust either call 0845 293 5689, email plant@woodlandtrust.org.uk or visit woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/on-farms
