WATER CATCHMENT AND RIVER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT WORKSHOP GAIRLOCH

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WATER CATCHMENT AND RIVER QUALITY IMPROVEMENT
WORKSHOP GAIRLOCH

• This workshop Highlights ENVIRONMENTAL Packages
  within the Scottish Rural Development Programme
  (SRDP) that, when applied to water catchment and
  river quality improvement, contribute to
  achieving Regional Rural Priorities.
• Describes the various Options that can be used to
  deliver these Packages.
• Gives an outline of the application process.  
• It does NOT aim to Deliver a comprehensive
  portfolio of all SRDP options available to all
  farmers or answer every detail about applying for
  SRDP.

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Scottish Rural Development Programme

• The SRDP is a 1.6 billion programme of economic,
  environmental and social measures designed to
  develop rural Scotland over the next five years.
• Measures will be delivered through various
  sources, we will look at Rural Development
  Contracts.

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Rural Development Contracts (RDCs)

• Generate benefits for the people of Scotland (NOT
  to give landowners money to do good things - keep
  at back of mind at all times)
• Competitive, outcome-led and priorities driven
  (unlike past schemes)
• One stop shop (HUGE CHOICE deluge of info and
  this is just one tiny bit)
• Applications as big or little as want (but costs
  about 1000 to apply)
• RDCs deliver Regional Priorities of SRDP, we are
  interested in two Biodiversity and Water
  Quality

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Biodiversity Priorities

• Biodiversity Priorities
• "A halt in the loss of biodiversity and reverse
  previous losses High Score for
• Biodiversity Action Plan species (salmon, sea
  trout, brown trout, artic char, lamprey).
• Biodiversity Action Plan habitats (reedbeds,
  lochs, lochans, rivers, streams, wet and riparian
  woods).
• Interpret or raise awareness of Highland
  biodiversity.
• planted Ancient Woodland Sites.

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• SSSIs, SACs, SPAs and Ramsar sites being in
  'favourable condition' by 2010. High score for
• action which contributes to nationally important
  nature sites achieving 'favourable condition' .
• Proposals which involve collaboration.

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• Viable populations of Species Action Framework
  species. High score
• Black Grouse, Red Squirrel, Wildcat, Water Vole,
  White-tailed Eagle, Freshwater Pearl Mussel, Pine
  Hoverfly, Woolly Willow and Hen Harrier.
• Reduce threat from non-native species.
• Eradicate/control Rhododendron and Japanese
  Knotweed.
• Increase connected natural habitats through
  collaboration and whole ecosystem approach. High
  score
• increase the area of connected natural habitats
  such as landscape-scale approaches to deer
  management and riparian/wetland corridors.

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Water and Soils Priorities

• Reduce diffuse pollution from land uses. High
  Score
• reduce risk of diffuse and point source pollution
  adjacent to water bodies categorised as at risk
  in Scotland River Basin Plan (2009 - 2015).
• catchment wide proposals.
• return the water body to good or better
  ecological status or potential.

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• Improved protection in areas at risk from erosion
  or flooding through management of existing
  habitats or the creation of appropriate habitats
  (e.g. floodplains and along river edges). High
  Scores
• reduction erosion in riparian and heavily grazed
  areas (e.g. Docharty Burn).
• create habitat to protect and enhance
  biodiversity.

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Priorities are achieved by implementing a choice
of Packages.

• Questions?

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PACKAGES

• There are 37 Packages that can be used to
  implement Regional Priorities. Every Package
  relates to one or more Priority. Every Package
  contains a number of Options which can be used to
  implement the Package.

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Relevant Packages

• Running and Standing Waters
• Native woodlands and Associated Habitats and
  Species
• Reducing Diffuse Pollution
• Improved Water Resource Management
• Sustainable Flood Management

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Package Running and Standing Waters

• Scotland's fresh waters are important assets,
  providing habitat for Atlantic Salmon, Otter,
  Freshwater Pearl Mussel.
• Threats include salmon spawning becoming
  smothered, fish kills, damaged vegetation and
  invasive plants.
• This package aims to improve the physical and
  chemical characteristics of fresh waters.

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• Suitable Options to implement the Running and
  Standing Waters Package in Wester Ross include
  the following.
• NOTE other options exist within the package AND
  some Options occur in more than one Package.

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• Skills development
• Soil and water management programme
• Control of invasive non-native species
• Water margins and enhanced riparian buffer areas
• Management of flood plains
• Woodland creation - Naturally regenerated native
  woodland
• Woodland creation - Native woodland planting

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• Contextual up to this point, now nitty gritty.
•  
• Questions?
• Some of these Options are elaborated on below.

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Option Skills Development

• This Option will improve land management skills
  amongst land managers to deliver the
  environmental objectives of the SRDP.
• Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
• Conservation and environmental skills
• Self and staff management
• Looking at new ways of working
• Technical skills
• 75 of the cost of training, with course fees
  based on actual costs.

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Option Soil and Water Management Programme
(SWMP)

• SWMP assess erosion, compaction and losses of
  organic matter risks to soil and water and
  devises management practices to address them.
• Option 1 Prepare a SWMP
• Draw up a SWMP and use it to support applications
  for the SRDP Options which it identified as
  measures to minimise the risks.
• Option 2 Implementmeasures where no SRDP Option
  is available.
• Where a SWMP identifies site-specific measures
  which cannot be funded elsewhere within the SRDP
  (such as placement of boulders to reduce bank
  erosion), identify the measures to be carried
  out, the improvements expected to be achieved,
  and the costs involved.

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• Costs Supported
• Option 1 50 of the cost of plan preparation up
  to a maximum payment of 300.
• Option 2 Funding a proportion of costs up to a
  maximum 30 per hectare based on the area to
  which the measure is to apply. Normally no more
  than 40 of the costs paid.

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Option Control of Invasive Non-native Species

• Rhododendron and Japanese knotweed. At the end of
  year five must be no Rhododendron or Japanese
  knotweed present. Applications must be
  collaborative.
• Rhododendron - manual, mechanised with chemical
  follow up and chemical control.
• Japanese knotweed - chemical control and digging
  out.
• Submit a 110,000 map identifying area affected
  and percentage for treatment.
• In addition to capital items, financial support
  of up to 100 of eligible actual costs is
  available on SSSIs and Natura features.

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• Manual eradication - 3500 per hectare of
  infested land.
• Mechanised eradication with chemical follow up -
  850 per hectare of infested land.
• Chemical eradication - 850 per hectare of
  infested land.
• Japanese knotweed - 160 per ha. per annum.

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Option Water Margins and Enhanced Riparian
Buffer Areas

• Protect water margins from erosion and diffuse
  pollution by distancing agricultural activity.
  Encourages waterside unfertilised grass/woodland
  buffers that stabilise banks, intercept overland
  water flow and trap sediment.
• Water margin requirements are related to bed
  width and habitat from 6 to 20m.
• A Management Plan to deliver biodiversity or
  water quality benefits and to create buffer
  strips. It should describe the existing
  vegetation and outlines management objectives and
  how they will be achieved.

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Choices within the Option

• 1. To enhance biodiversity interest
• Light grazing in late summer/early autumn to
  maintain a sward height between 10 and 15 cm.

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• 2. To reduce diffuse pollution
• Control rank growth to maintain a close, even
  sward, either by light grazing as in Choice 1 or
  by mowing to reduce the sward height to between
  10 to 15 cm in late Summer/early Autumn.

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• In both cases
• control grazing to avoid poaching and damage to
  banks
• farm livestock must have access to adjacent
  fields
• no applications of lime, fertilisers, farmyard
  manure or pesticides
• control scheduled weeds and invasive non-native
  species
• no cultivation
• do not clear existing drains or cut new drains
• do not modify or reinforce the river or loch
  banks
• SRDP finance is available to install water
  troughs
• no supplementary feeding
• use native species of trees of local origin.

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• Costs Supported
• The following are examples of Capital Items that
  may be claimed
• fencing, gates and fence removal
• water trough
• bringing drains/culverts to the surface.
• In addition to the above capital items there is
  100 financial support of eligible costs in
  respect to Capital works on Sites of Special
  Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Natura features.

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• Rates
• 5-year commitment which pays 286.63 per hectare
  per year.

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Option Management of Floodplains

• Creates and maintain a mosaic of wash lands and
  dry lands by allowing watercourses to overflow
  onto natural flood plains. The flood plain must
  be allowed to flood naturally at times of high
  water level. No cultivation within 12 m of the
  banks. Flood plain management payment is
  additional to payments to manage specific
  habitats within the flood plain. A collaborative
  approach.
• This 5-year commitment pays 39 per hectare per
  year. Capital costs may also be claimed.

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Option Woodland Creation

• Supports creation of new woods using a mixture of
  the six choices of woods.
• Deliver one or more of the following outcomes
• increase carbon sequestration
• provide opportunities for public access
• contribute to native woodland expansion
• develop woodland habitat networks to improve
  biodiversity
• improve water quality
• improve derelict, underused and neglected land
• develop a sustained yield of suitable raw
  material.

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• Planting proposals should be consistent with
  published regional woodland strategies.
• Riparian woodland must contribute to native
  woodland Habitat Action Plan expansion targets.
  Woodland Creation Map submitted with proposal.

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What costs will be supported?

• Where planting is on agricultural or abandoned
  agricultural land, support (per ha per yr for 5
  yrs) provided for tree maintenance.
• Annual Farmland Premium per hectare to cover the
  loss of agricultural income for either 10 or 15
  years will be available for planting on
  agricultural land.

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Woodland Creation Option Initial Planting Payment Rate / ha Maintenance Payment Rate / ha/year
Productive conifer woodland (low cost) 840 112
Productive broadleaved woodland 1575 161
Native woodland 875 154
Naturally regenerated native woodland 630 70
Mixed conifer/broadleaf woodland 1470 154
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• Capital payment grants are available for the
  activities listed below.
• Deer fence - 4.83 per metre
• Enhancing/modifying deer fence (in black grouse
  capercaillie areas) - 3.50 per metre
• Gate for deer fence - 119/each
• Additional Community Woodland Contribution is
  1000/ ha
• Payments up to 200 hectares of land planted in
  the SRDP 2007-13 period.

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Package Native Woodlands and Associated Habitats
and Species

• Supports maintenance or restoration of native and
  ancient, semi-natural, high biodiversity
  woodlands. Intense deer browsing and sheep
  grazing, as well as invasive non-native species,
  has impacted negatively on the condition of
  native woodland.

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• Suitable Options to implement the Native
  Woodlands and Associated Habitats and Species
  Package in Wester Ross include the following.
  Options shown in the top list will always deliver
  the desired outcomes. Options in the bottom list
  will help achieve outcome in specific
  circumstances and an explanation of why these
  have been chosen will be required.

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• Woodland Creation
• Sustainable management of forests - Areas of
  native woodland
• Sustainable management of forests - Livestock
  removal
• Woodland improvement grant - Long-term forest
  planning
• Woodland improvement grant - Improving priority
  woodland habitats and species
• Woodland improvement grant - Reducing deer impact
  
• Control of invasive non-native species -
  Rhododendron control

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• Woodland Creation - native woodland
• Woodland Creation - Broadleaf woodland
• Sustainable management of forests - Areas of high
  levels of public access
• Sustainable management of forests - Restructuring
  felling
• Sustainable management of forests - LISS
• Woodland improvement grant - Improving even-aged
  woodland diversity
• Woodland improvement grant - Improving priority
  non-woodland habitats
• Management of ancient wood pasture - Rough
  grazing
• Management of ancient wood pasture - In-bye land
• Management of habitat mosaics

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Option Sustainable Management of Forests - Areas
of Native WoodlandOption Sustainable Management
of Forests - Livestock removal

• Support to sustainably manage forests and
  woodlands of high environmental value such as
  native woodland and plantation on ancient
  woodland sites (PAWS) with or without cattle
  grazing and woodland with a high level of access
  use.

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• Require an approved Forest Plan with
• Area of native woodland and areas in which
  management work will take place area where
  domestic livestock will be removed and area
  subject to high levels of access.
• Describe the present ecological condition and the
  proposed management work to improve it. This
  should address stand structure, regeneration,
  herbivore impacts, species composition and
  threats and damage.

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Support

• Requires provision of a budget for the work
  proposed which demonstrates that support is a
  contribution to costs. Additional support will be
  provided for the removal of domestic livestock
  from areas of native woodland for10 years.

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Rates

• 1. Management of areas of native woodlands
  28/hectare/year for up to 10 years
• 2. Management of areas subject to high levels of
  access 28/hectare/year for up to 10 years
• 3. Removal of domestic livestock from native
  woodland 41/hectare/year for up to 10 years

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• Option Woodland improvement grant - Long-term
  forest planning
• Option Woodland improvement grant - Improving
  priority woodland habitats and species
• Option Woodland improvement grant - Reducing
  deer impact

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• For the environmental improvement of woodlands
  which
• deliver long-term forest plans reduce deer
  impact
• target species under the Scottish Biodiversity
  Strategy and UKBAP
• improve even-aged woodland by restructuring age
  and species, and
• improve non-woodland habitats within woodlands.
  Forest Plan required.

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Long-Term Forest Planning

• Submit a 'concept map' to illustrate the key
  issues being addressed by the Forest Plan
• Carry out a scoping exercise and include the
  Scoping Report as part of the Forest Plan

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Reducing Deer Impact

• Create a deer management plan (DMP).
• If fencing assess risks and mitigate. Deer
  culling may be necessary.
• Areas in receipt of grants for deer control
  under Scottish Forestry Grant Scheme
  Sustainable Management of Forests - Areas of
  native woodland, and Sustainable Management of
  Forests - Areas of LISS are ineligible.

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Improving Woodland Habitats and Species

• For native woodland, provide a brief summary
  describing the condition of woodland, and
  describing the proposed 'direction of travel' for
  stand structure, regeneration, herbivore impact,
  species composition and threats.
• Show proposals will benefit specific habitats or
  species that are under the UK BAP.

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Restructuring Regeneration

• Forest Plan.
• Replant at stocking densities equivalent to the
  requirements for new woodland creation.

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Improving Non-Woodland Habitats

• Show how proposals will benefit priority habitats
  under the UKBAP.
• Up to 20 of the woodland area can be
  non-woodland and associated open ground habitat

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• List of supported costs are available

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Package Reducing Diffuse Pollution

• Good water quality will maintain and enhance
  biodiversity and environmental conditions on
  farmland and in the waters which drain from
  farms.
• This package supports actions which are needed
  under existing water legislation and codes of
  good practice to reduce losses of pollutants
  through the implementation of options.

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• Suitable Options to implement the Reducing
  Diffuse Pollution Package in Wester Ross include
  the following.

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• Reducing bacterial contamination in watercourses
• Water margins and enhanced riparian buffer areas
• Open grazed or wet grassland for wildlife
• Management of species rich grassland
• Creation and management of species rich grassland
  
• Management of wetland
• Create, restore and manage wetland
• Management of flood plains
• Ancient wood pasture
• Livestock tracks, gates and river crossings
• Woodland creation Soil and water management
  programme
• Naturally regenerated native woodland and Native
  woodland planting

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Package Improved Water Resource Management

• Delivers good water quality conditions by
  encouraging land managers to restore meanders to
  watercourses that have been straightened to
  prevent the rapid flow that tends to take away
  soil.
• This package will

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• maintain appropriate natural flow regimes and
  water levels at all times
• improve flood control and flood storage
• improve terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems by
  creating new habitats
• maintain and enhance geodiversity by maintaining
  or restoring rivers landforms and natural
  processes of river flow
• enhance the landscape, enjoyment and recreational
  use of land.

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• Options to implement the Improved Water Resource
  Management Package in Wester Ross include the
  following.
• Soil and Water Management Programme
• Create, restore and manage wetland
• Management of flood plains

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Package Sustainable Flood Management

• The increased risk of flooding associated with
  climate change can be reduced by making good use
  of a areas within a catchment that have natural
  capacity to store water and reduce peak flows in
  watercourses.
• Suitable Options to implement the Sustainable
  Flood Management Package in Wester Ross include
  the following.

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• Management of Flood Plains
• Create, Restore and Manage Wetland
• Skills development
• Woodland creation

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What To Do Next

• Decide if interested in making a collective
  application
• Register to obtain a holding number
• Employ and agricultural advisor
• Have a Statement of Intent, for each landowner,
  written.
• Once the Statement of Intent receives an amber
  light, have a Full Application, for each
  landowner, submitted.
• Have agricultural advisor adjust as required to
  have Application approved.