Our work with Defra
Severn & Wye Nature has secured government support for work with farmers along the Severn, Warwickshire Avon and related tributaries. The Severn is the UK’s longest river with a flat flood plain running for about 140 miles into the Welsh hills. The project was designed to find ways to fund nature recovery on flood-affected land.
We secured substantial government funding through the Defra’s trailblazing Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF). This Defra scheme currently funds 86 projects across the country, helping farmers to develop nature-friendly projects that produce vital revenue, while building a sustainable economic model that can be reproduced at scale. Our project looked at finding new ways of attracting funding for nature-friendly changes to the way farmland is used.
Focused initially on specific farms in Shropshire, the work developed approaches which can be deployed in flood-affected areas along the length of the Severn, the Warwickshire Avon and their tributaries – looking at introducing wetlands, floodplain meadows and woodland
The Project Partners
The project group involved Severn Rivers Trust, National Trust, WWT and the Wildlife Trusts of Montgomeryshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire. Our financial partner was Finance Earth.
Working With Farmers
Farmers are at the heart of the project and work directly related to the creation of business case for wetland and Natural Flood Management on individual farms. Severn and Wye Nature are partnering with farmers to define ways in which they can make changes along the flood-affected river to benefit nature and deliver a realistic economic return.
Find Out More
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The Scale of the Work
21,000km2
of England and Wales in included in the River Severn Basin District, encompassing a total of 792 waterbodies (Environment Agency)
£98,000
of funding received through the NEIRF scheme to support our work with farmers in the Severn Vale
5 million
people live in the River Basin district who will reap the benefits of a robust and healthy environment (Environment Agency)
Building a financial model
Many farmers are enthusiastic about improving the natural environment, but change will only happen if it’s affordable and makes financial sense.
Our NEIRF project aims to find new ways of attracting funding for nature-friendly changes to the way farmland is used. The land use changes might include introducing wetlands, floodplain meadows and woodland, but each one needs to be funded.
We’re working together to develop a financial model for these kinds of changes – to benefit both landowners and nature. It can then be rolled out across the Severn and Wye regions.
Testing the model on pilot farms
Our work focuses on three farms in Shropshire, where flooding has had an impact.
First we’ve assessed the farms’ current financial output on selected sites. We’ve measured what the natural environment is like today, and mapped the potential for improvement – both for nature and for farm economics.
We’re examining the scope for possible change by look at three nature-friendly solutions: the creation of diverse wetland habitat, the expansion of woodland along our riverbanks, and the restoration of valuable floodplain meadows.
Then we’re exploring revenue options, including in relation to BNG, Carbon and meeting Corporate Social Responsibility goals. We’re also talking to businesses with needs directly linked to the local natural environment.
