In This Issue
Farming, Forestry and Climate Change in the Cotswolds
CAP Reform – What can we expect after 2013?
Conservation in action – the Usk to Wye Campaign
Environmental Stewardship – Apply Now
South West Farmland Bird Initiative – Get Involved
Wilden Marsh – Bringing land managers and environmental bodies together
Farm resource management initiatives – Can we help you save money?
Welcome
Welcome to our new look E-newsletter. It includes an update on Cumulus Consultants, examples of recent projects and other topical news. We hope you find it of interest.
Cumulus Consultants is a specialist rural consultancy working in the land and environment sector. We offer support and advice to farmers, landowners, rural businesses, government, NGOs and companies throughout the UK and Europe.
Our unique range of services includes: policy research; programme design and delivery; land and environment advice; and training and knowledge transfer.
You'll find out more about us via our website at www.cumulus-consultants.co.uk. This has recently been redesigned and updated to make it clearer and simpler, but hopefully no less informative!
Our website also highlights our most popular services. These include our Green Land Agency, Environmental Stewardship, Landscape Partnership, Conservation Grazing and Monitoring Evaluation services. Read more about how we can help you by clicking consultancy packages.
Farming and forestry account for 96% of the land area of the Cotswolds Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and support many of the special features which make the Cotswold landscape unique. However, climate change and globalisation will bring about significant changes for farming and forestry in the Cotswolds, and the AONB as a whole, in the years and decades ahead. 
"An extensive public debate" on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) beyond 2013 has recently been called for by Dacian Ciolos, the new European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. This follows the publication of a range of policy visions and position statements from different organisations over the past few months. Later this year, the Commission will produce a policy paper setting out different options for public consultation. We explore what we can expect from the next round of CAP reform and how to prepare.
The Usk to Wye campaign aims to inspire people to take action to develop a landscape-scale habitat network for Monmouthshire. The vision is for a more sustainable landscape; one where people can live, work and develop a low carbon, green economy and where wildlife can adapt to the pressures of climate change. Cumulus Consultants has helped develop the campaign over the past year by: extending the original partnership between the Woodland Trust and the Gwent Wildlife Trust to a total of eight organisations; producing a Business Plan to provide direction for the development of the Campaign over the next five years; and contributing to the development of a major funding application.
The Higher Level Stewardship scheme, run by Natural England, offers financial support to farmers who adopt specific conservation options on their land. More than 200 management options are included in the scheme, and there is funding for capital items such as hedgerow restoration and walling. 
The South West Farmland Bird Initiative is working with the farming community and other partners to deliver positive habitat management for farmland birds across Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Dorset. 
A bold project to restore groundwater levels at Wilden Marsh and Meadows SSSI, near Kidderminster, Worcestershire has just been completed by the Environment Agency working with partners including Natural England, Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, private landowners and tenants. The work has involved the construction of two 1.5m high rock ramps in the River Stour, the de-silting of a main carrier ditch and the construction of a control structure at the end of the ditch. This work, together with associated water level management, will restore much of this priority site to a favourable condition for nature conservation. Cumulus is delighted to have played an integral role in the project liaising with landowners and tenants during the planning and implementation of the project, negotiating compensation settlements and scoping future environment enhancement via co-ordinated Higher Level Stewardship agreements. 
A range of farm resource management initiatives have been developed across England's Regional Development Agencies as part of the Rural Development Programme for England. Two of the more recent ones are highlighted below: