| Action Plan Reference | Action | Target Date | Lead Agency | Personnel | Fund Source | Progress at February 2001 | Year/s incorporated into operational plan |
| Field 1 | Produce promotional literature on agri-environment scheme | Annual | SERAD | SERAD, SNH, SAC FWAG, FBG | SERAD | Field margins and boundary habitats are management options in the current Rural Stewardship Scheme. These options are detailed in the RSS handbook (2001). SERAD have made a commitment to provide training, internally for SERAD officers and externally for advisors, on the options in the RSS to include field margins and boundary habitats. | |
| Release articles to press and radio | Annual | FBG | SAC, FWAG, LA | In kind | FBG article (11/2000) on hedge planting and maintenance resulted in over 25 requests for information. Information on species for planting and on funding options was distributed as appropriate. | ||
| Collate information on uptake of relevant options in agri-environment scheme | 2000 onwards | FBG | SERAD, LBAP | In kind | As the RSS now uses LBAP criteria for ranking of applications, monitoring progress against LBAP targets is of key importance BUT a method for this has not yet been established. SERAD have made a commitment to develop an operational system of data recording which is open to interrogation for information on a particular habitat or species. SERAD have also made a commitment to set up monitoring of progress on LBAP priorities. FWAG Scotland are collating information on uptake among their clients & feeding this back to SERAD. | ||
| Field 2 | Encourage supermarket driven schemes which require protection of all existing boundary habitats as a prerequisite of supply | 2001 | SBG | SM | SM | Action to be put forward to the SBG agricultural sub-group | |
| Field 3 | Run training courses for advisors | Annual | SERAD | SNH, SAC, FWAG | SERAD | SEARD have made a commitment to include training courses as an integral part of the RSS | |
| Field 4 | Lobby SERAD policy division to ensure habitat is a priority in existing and proposed schemes | Annual | FBG | LBAP, SNH, SAC, FWAG, SWT & Countryside Link | In Kind | RSS includes management options for field margins and boundary habitats. Increased funding is needed to allow uptake of these options by more farmers. Members of FBG to lobby (where appropriate) through their own organisations for increase in funding for agri-environment schemes. FWAG Scotland currently lobbies both locally and nationally on RSS | |
| Field 5 | Courses for farmers | Annual | SAC | SAC, FWAG & ATB | SAC | FWAG has given several talks to groups of farmers on farmland conservation, including field boundary management. SAC is currently developing a training course entitled "Encouraging biodiversity on the farm" which includes field margin management and is aimed at farmers and others involved in the rural sector. | |
| Lectures for agriculture, land management & environmental students | Annual | SAC | Landbase, SAC, AU | SAC | SAC currently provides teaching on farm conservation plans including management of field boundaries on 2 courses run locally, HND in Countryside Management, and HND in agriculture. Grampian FWAG lectures on 3 courses at Aberdeen University (MSc Land management, MA/BSc Countryside Management & BSc Ecology), field boundary management is a part of these lectures & field courses. | ||
| Field 6 | Set up display boards in supermarkets and public forums | x 3 per year | FBG | SM, LA, LBAP | SNH | ||
| Field 7 | Establish scheme to fund SWT volunteers to carry out maintenance of dykes, hedges etc | 1999-ongoing | FBG | SWT, SM | SM | ||
| Field 7 | Plant new hedges | 1999-ongoing | SNH | SNH, FBG, FWAG, SAC | SNH | SNH can provide up to 50% funding for planting new hedges. Successful CPS applications for 2000 through FWAG and SAC will total over 7770 m of hedge planted. SAC has drawn up three applications for hedge planting (total 2100 m) under the Aberdeen Countryside Project small grants scheme. FWAG has advised several landowners on hedge planting outside the CPS totalling 1000 m. | |
| Field 8 | Produce information sheets to provide information on management and protection of water margin habitats | 1999 | SEPA | Various sources of information are available - SEPA Habitat Enhancement Initiative has produced a booklet on ponds, pools and lochans and will be producing other booklets in this series. The North East Rivers project has run workshops for landowners and land managers on management of riparian habitats. North East Native Woodlands has distributed copies of 'Restoring and managing riparian woodlands' to NE landowners and land managers. | |||
| Field 9 | Establish mechanism to utilise local seeds from sustainable use of existing sites | 1999 | FWAG, SERAD | SERAD | |||
| Establish links with seed industry | 1999-2000 | SAC, SERAD | |||||
| Field 10 | Collate data from successful RSS applications | Annual | NESBReC/SERAD | SERAD, SAC | SERAD | SERAD have made a commitment to develop an operational system of data recording which is open to interrogation for information on a particular habitat or species. NESBReC is aiming (in the long-term) to incorporate date from SERAD agri-environment schemes into their system, which is now under development. | |
| Field 11 | Following (10) set targets for increase in this habitat | 2000 | SERAD, SAC, FWAG | ||||
| Field 12 | Hold one day seminar to establish a research network | 1998 | SAC | SAC | SAC |