Supporting Farmers to Access Funding for Grassland Restoration
A new free toolkit has been created to increase farmers’ understanding of nature markets and their potential to support grassland restoration.
Species-rich grasslands can deliver enormous benefits for wildlife, biodiversity and the climate. With approximately 97% of the UK’s species-rich grassland lost in less than a century, we are working with farmers to protect and restore them.
By connecting existing partners, Big Chalk helped turn a shared ambition into a practical resource, a first grassland-specific toolkit, that will support farmers and land managers across England in restoring high-quality species rich grassland and strengthening resilient rural economies.
It is a free, accessible resource created to support farmers, farm advisers and other land managers to make informed decisions around what finance options, including emerging nature markets, could support their grassland restoration ambitions. It’s hoped the toolkit will also increase the understanding of the value of grasslands on farmers’ landholdings.
What is the New Grassland Toolkit?
This is the first grassland-specific ecosystem services toolkit of its type. It explores the types of grassland, soil, grazing and cutting regimes within farming systems and highlights a range of emerging private finance opportunities that could help a transition to a more regenerative grassland management approach.
Farmers can use the toolkit to determine the type of grassland they have, the required management regime and the funding opportunities available. We’ve shared case studies to show the real world applications of using private finance mechanisms to deliver for grasslands.
The toolkit, created in partnership with funding from the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF), also signposts to the more well-established funding mechanisms offered through agri-environment.
How Will the Toolkit Help Farmers?
A mechanism, like this toolkit, will help more people understand the importance of species-rich grassland in delivering ecosystem services. It will also increase understanding of nature markets, enabling funding that protects, restores, creates and manages this valuable habitat.
We hope the project will lead to greater recognition of the important role farming can play in maintaining the ecosystem functions of grasslands.
As we go, we are continuing to explore how we can look to pilot the toolkit with farmers in England and to identify research opportunities to fill some of the evidence gaps in how grasslands can deliver for ecosystem services.
Read the Toolkit
If you are interested in finding out more, please click on the link below.
Please tell us what you think
Have you used the toolkit? We are very keen to hear from people who have used the toolkit and whether you’ve found it helpful. Please take 5 minutes to tell us what you think.
We would like to thank all the partners involved in the production of the toolkit – National Landscape Association, Finance Earth, Floodplain Meadows Partnership, Pasture for Life, Nature Friendly Farming Network, Natural England, UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Soil Association and Soil Association Exchange.
This project would also not have been possible without support from farmers who took the time to talk to us, attend workshops online and in person – your input helped to guide the content of the toolkit.
Funding from the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund (NEIRF) enabled the production of the toolkit.
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