Izzy Moser
Natural solutions for landowners
DWT has years of experience of working with farmers and landowners, producing whole-farm plans to improve semi-natural habitats for wildlife, water quality and carbon storage. The Northern Devon Natural Solutions (NDNS) project aims to provide natural solutions to create, restore and connect wild spaces for nature across a wide area of northern Devon.
Find out what practical steps we can support you in taking, on land you own or manage. To find out if your landholding is in one of the project's catchments areas, just check the map below.
Where are NDNS Land Advisers working?
The project focuses on land next to 36 watercourses within the Torridge and Taw catchments. Please click on the interactive map below, to see if you live within the project area.
Practical support for landowners
Northern Devon Natural Solutions land advisors can offer:
- tailored, environmentally sensitive land management advice
- support with environmental schemes (including Countryside Stewardship mid-tier, higher tier, capital grants and the new ELMs Sustainable Farming Incentive)
- advice on how to improve water quality, biodiversity, flood resilience and carbon sequestration
- funding for a small number of interventions that are highly beneficial for wildlife
- signposting to other useful sources of information and help
Through the project, we are working with landowners to deliver a series of small-scale practical schemes to enhance tens of thousands of acres of northern Devon's farmed landscape.
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In addition to providing whole-farm advice, DWT can fund the following interventions on land in the project area:
- Species-rich grassland creation and re-creation
- Pond, swale and wildlife scrape creation
- Leaky dam installation
- Riverbank protection
- Culm grassland re-creation
- Wilding, and restoring natural processes of woodland succession
- Restoring river connectivity
This list is not exhaustive, there may be other ways we can support using natural solutions on your land to benefit wildlife, soils, water and climate.
Facilitation Funds
Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Funds are all about farmers, foresters, land owners and land managers coming together and setting an agenda on solutions to benefit people and wildlife through relevant training events (some on-site). The three groups we are involved with will also help members engage with other people and businesses in the same, or similar, position.
Check our map above to see if your landholding is in one of the three Facilitation Fund areas.
DWT’s role with these groups is to facilitate and not lead – the agenda, events and priorities of these groups are all set by farmers.
Benefits of joining your nearest group:
- 20% uplift on Countryside Stewardship (CS) score
- Free group advice and support with on-farm environmental management
- Various land management workshops, events and assistance, many with independent expert speakers
- Support for all members, whether currently in a CS scheme or not
- Signposting to other support and funding opportunities
- Links to other local advisors and experts
- Meeting your neighbouring farmers and land managers
Who to contact
Once you have checked that your landholding is in one of the catchments featured in the map above, please contact the lead associated with your area.
Hidden Heart of Devon – Shanti Smallwood: ssmallwood@devonwildlifetrust.org
*Taw Valley & Little Dart – Tom Parsons: tparsons@devonwildlifetrust.org
Torridge Valley Network - Izzy Moser: imoser@devonwildlifetrust.org
*The Taw Valley and Little Dart Facilitation Group is coordinated by the North Devon Biosphere Reserve, in partnership with Devon Wildlife Trust.
The Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund is funded by the Rural Payments Agency and supported by Natural England.
Further information
If you would like to find out more about the Northern Devon Natural Solutions project's activities, you can sign up to receive email updates by clicking here
Or contact Ewan Wallis, NDNS Project Manager, on ewallis@devonwildlifetrust.org