{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.014826175869120654, 'fraction_numerical': 0.0, 'mean_word_length': 5.154088050314465, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 0, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
Integrating strategies for wildlife management into agri-environment payment schemes : A decision support approach

The Entry Level Stewardship scheme gives farmers in England access to payments for managing their farms for the benefit of wildlife. Points are awarded for adopting a number of management practices from a list of options, and when a threshold value has been reached payments are calculated on an area basis. However, if biodiversity is to benefit as much as possible for a given expenditure of time and effort on the part of the farmer, and money on the part of the government, then careful selection of options is imperative. Farmers cannot be expected to have a detailed knowledge of the ecological requirements of different species; therefore, options are likely to be chosen that meet the scheme’s points requirements for the minimum of cost and effort. This paper describes one approach taken that addresses this problem. The University of Hertfordshire and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) have produced an interactive software tool that allows a more informed choice of options to be made. This uses a questionnaire approach to obtain information on a farm’s habitat features in order to provide site-specific recommendations. An initial wildlife assessment is made of the options being considered by the farmer. A detailed understanding of the ecological requirements of important bird, animal and plant species, appropriate to farms of different types is then used to determine any gaps in the requirements met by the selected options, and to highlight alternative or additional options that will fill these gaps. Although, such a system cannot guarantee that farmers will select the options that will maximise wildlife benefit, it does provide them with the information they need to make informed decisions, and therefore offers the possibility of environmental improvements over a significant area of the country.