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• 18.12.08 | Uplands ELS, Hill Farm Allowance and the Uplands Transitional Payment
• 26:11:08 | Farming together to enrich England’s wildlife, heritage and countryside
• 14.11.08 | Review of agri-environment options points and payment rates (Defra)

What is Environmental Stewardship?

Environmental Stewardship is an agri-environment scheme which provides funding to farmers and other land managers in England who deliver effective environmental management on their land.

Environmental Stewardship (ES) is designed to build on the recognised success of the Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme and the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. Its primary objectives are to:

• Conserve wildlife (biodiversity)
• Maintain and enhance landscape quality and character
• Protect the historic environment and natural resources
• Promote public access and understanding of the countryside
• Natural resource protection

Within the primary objectives it also has the secondary objectives of:

• Genetic conservation
• Flood management

Environmental Stewardship has three elements:

• Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) provides a straightforward approach to supporting the good stewardship of the countryside through simple and effective land management that goes beyond the Single Payment Scheme requirement to maintain land in good agricultural and environmental condition. It is open to all farmers and landowners.
• Organic Entry Level Stewardship (OELS) is the organic strand of ELS. It is geared to organic and organic/conventional mixed farming systems and is open to all farmers not receiving Organic Farming Scheme aid.
• Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) concentrates on the more complex types of management where land managers need advice and support and where agreements will be tailored to local circumstances. HLS applications will assessed against specific local targets and agreements will be offered where they meet these targets and represent good value for money.

For more information about the background to Environmental Stewardship see:

• Look after your land and be rewarded [1.6 MB]