Sustainability in the uplandsFinding the balance

Keith Jones - West Snowdonia and Llŷn Countryside Manager

Think integrated, think planning!

• 7000Ha integrated land management project

• 10,000m2 of dry stone walling

• Sheep down from 3100 to 1200 – introduction of 60 cattle to Snowdon

• 193 separate projects

• 400ha of invasive species managed

• 50km of footpaths

• 8km of Riverine work

• £2 million of building work to ensure sustainability

• GDP raised 6% locally

• £4.75 million

Hafod y Llan - part of the project

4116 acres estate inc

2 scheduled ancient monuments, listed buildings, SSSi’s, SAC& NNR.

7 houses, 2 outdoor education centres, 4 bunk houses and chalets. 2 farm houses

4000 ewes and ewe lambs –down to 700

5 lakes, 400 acres of Atlantic oak woods, upland ash woods, juniper heath, wet & dry heath.

60 pedigree welsh black

Farm Manager, 2 shepherds, monitoring officer

Hafod Hafod y Llany Llan

Where next?

Gelli Iago

Hafod Garegog

Hafod Garegog

IAGO

Facts and features• Gelli Iago• 1500 acre mountain farm

(Cnicht)• 600 ewes• Bog, wet & dry heaths,

woodland, acid grassland• 40 summer grazing cattle• Scheduled ancient monument

site• S16 agreement• No low land• Low management input

• Hafod Garegog

• National Nature reserve

• 400 acres at sea level

• Under grazed in areas

• Bats, dragon flies, oak, butterflies…

• Cultural significance

• Large wind damage in 2002

• Jewel in the crown

• Ospreys

Context

• Agriculture on the cusp of major change

• De-coupling showing its effects on grazing

• Cattle prices at their lowest

• Already seeing loss of grazing on commons

• Time of unprecedented change, no stability or certainty

• Undergrazing/ overgrazing threatening many species

• Where to go? intensive or extensive.

• What will future habitats look like?

• Culture and language effects

• Climate change

Original objective for the farm

“To practice and demonstrate environmentally responsible land-use by integrating the needs of:• landscape conservation• habitat management• recreation• protection of historic interest• agricultural husbandry”

Current management

Gelli Iago

•Part of the Hafod y Llan system

•Partial habitat recovery

•Woodland, wet and dry heath, acid grassland

•No cattle on the mountain

•Sheep tress pass

•No woodland recovery

•off wintering in Llyn & Denbigh

•No designation

•Limited access

•Invasive species (Organic land)

Hafod Garegog

•National Nature Reserve

•Mosaic of bog, wet & dry heaths & oak woodlands

•No grazing in the woodlands. Little or no grazing on heaths and bogs

•Woodland structure returning

•Invasive species (from Gelli Iago)

•Active management on the bogs

•Feature driven management

•Limited access

National Trust context

“The objective should be to

promote agriculture which is

sustainable economically,

environmentally and socially in all areas.”

NT Farming for the Future, 2001

Showing leadership in the regeneration of the countrysideNational Trust strategic plan, core priority

What do we want here?

“To investigate & demonstrate

the economic viability of an upland farm where the main driver for management is the environment”

Questions.

How ‘high’ do we set the bar!

What do we want the farm to look like?

What mechanisms would be best suited to deliver?

How do we ensure it is ‘credible’?

What does Hafod Garegog want?

Options

Leave it to its own business

To meet our objectives

Carry on as we areMountain Cattle and boundary sheep

Or any combination of the above

More extensive StewardshipNo Management

How do the options measure up?Options Environmental Socio/cultural Economic

Extensive system

+ Habitat gain, (more ‘natural’ systems)

- Some species could suffer - Invasive species could

spread

+ Maintains ‘farming’ in the uplands.

- Loss of sheep ‘cynefin’?

- Sheep trespass

+ Providing a better income than traditional systems (less inputs).

- Less labour required

“Naturalistic”

- Mass sheep trespass, + Habitat expansion.

(woodland, dwarf shrub)- Denser matt grasses, - loss of some species- Invasive species allowed

free reign. - Features degrade (Hafod

Garegog) - prosecution

- Not supporting a ‘family’

- Loss of land management skills and knowledge.

- Language implications

+ No inputs-No income from

produce. +Subsidy might

continue for a while!

-Would still require boundary management

Steady as she goes

- Habitat remains suppressed.

- No woodland regeneration. - Organic problems with

invasive species+ Some habitat

regeneration

+ Maintains skills+ Continues to

develop the ‘welsh mountain sheep breed’

+ est. £20,000 net- Current funding is

programmed to taper. Farm will become un-viable in the near future