In Cornwall, 70% of land is farmed, so working together with farmers to protect and enhance wildlife in Cornwall is vital. Cornwall Wildlife Trust has been working with the farming community for the past 10 years as part of South West Water’s Upstream Thinking project. Upstream Thinking is an award-winning partnership which uses a collaborative approach to improving wildlife, water and soil quality in local water catchments across the South West.

Over the past ten years, Cornwall Wildlife Trust’s experienced farm advisors have built trusting relationships with the farming community. This spring, the Upstream Thinking team are helping farmers and landowners manage and sow more than 800 acres of herbal leys across Cornwall. But what exactly are herbal leys, and why are they becoming more popular on farms across Cornwall?

Herbal leys are sown pastures, used instead of the more conventional rye-grass, that are made up of a mixture of around 10-20 species of grasses, herbs and legumes. Diversity is key. These herbal leys benefit the soil’s fertility, biology and its structure, with each species having a different function that helps the mixture work better overall. Some species help to boost livestock health, acting as natural medicines. Others boost pollinator numbers, providing food for bees and butterflies, and some fix nitrogen into the soil as natural fertilisers, reducing the need to apply chemicals. Species that tolerate low rainfall are also added to help with climate-proofing - necessary given the increase of extreme weather events such as heatwaves and droughts.

The work of the Upstream Thinking team is centered around the Cober, Drift, Stithians and Falmouth reservoirs. As a result of working with farmers and landowners in and around the Drift area, near Penzance, 45% of farms are now sowing more diverse mixtures of grasses and herbs. These significant changes in farming practices will help the Trust protect local wildlife whilst improving water quality at the same time.

Cornwall Wildlife Trust believes that farmers and conservationists must work together and support one another in order to benefit long-term food production and biodiversity. The Trust is currently working with hundreds of farms across Cornwall to improve the landscape for both farmers and our wildlife.

To find out more about the Upstream Thinking project, visit our Farmers and Landowners webpage.

Working with farmers and landowners

Due to a growing demand for high-quality environmental farm and land management advice, Cornwall Wildlife Trust has launched a new Farm Advice Team. This means we can now offer independent advice outside of our existing funded project areas. The work of this team will help to enable nature recovery on productive farmland, and although it is a paid-for service, we will be operating on a not-for-profit basis. Please contact the team for more information: farm.ecology.advice@cornwallwildlifetrust.org.uk