Farmed Land

In terms of its usefulness for wildlife, farmed land can be divided into two broad types:

Arable and leys

Ground used to grow crops and sown grassland forms the core of functional farmland. Arable and leys occupy most of the Herefordshire part of the AONB and a large proportion of the Trellech and Dean plateaux either side of the Wye gorge in the southern half of the AONB They have limited value for wildlife, but do have important roles for maintaining biodiversity, for example, arable weeds and farmland birds.

Semi-natural habitats

Traditional farming techniques have created permanent grassland (grassland that has been uncultivated for a decade or more) and heathland. Where they remain, they are rich in plant and animal species and are distinctive wildlife habitats. Nature conservation work on farmland therefore largely revolves around the need to maintain these pockets of biodiversity, which are described in further depth in the Grassland and Heathland section.

Other Farmland Habitats

Farmland also contains habitats such as ponds, orchards and parkland that can be important for wildlife.

Ponds

Small ponds, at one time required in almost all fields used for grazing, have declined steadily in number over the last century. Many that have survived have been neglected or misused. Extremely diverse in themselves, they also create a different habitat and diversity within the farm environment in general.

Orchards

There are many s mall orchards in residential areas and these often include old fruit trees, which attract woodpeckers. The grassland in old orchards has often remained unploughed and unfertilised, and for this reason they are often rich in plant biodiversity. The many commercial orchards in Herefordshire are unlikely to contain a rich diversity of plants and animal species.

Parkland

This type of land describes fields with trees in them. Many of the trees originated from hedges or individual trees grown to shelter grazing animals. Others were planted to form a formal avenue or create a certain landscape. Many of these trees are home to their own plants, animals and smaller organisms such as fungi.

Agri-environment schemes

Schemes exist to help and encourage farmers to farm for wildlife, and the reform of CAP will enable farmers to pursue a more environmental agenda, at the same time giving them flexibility to take advantage of market opportunities and consumer preference. For information on these reforms, see www.defra.gov.uk for farming in England, and www.countryside.wales.gov.uk for farming in Wales.