Alice Groom

Image of two Turtle Doves perching on branches over water, one leans down to take a drink. Wording to the left reads: Wild Bird Indicators. For populations in the UK and England, 1970 to 2024. Out now!

1/ The Wild Bird Indicators, using BTO data, have been updated today by Defra! ⬇️

Sadly, the ‘all bird species’ index, comprising the population trends of 130 species, has been in a slow continuous decline in the UK since the 1970s, down by 18% and by 4% in the last five years. 📉 #Ornithology

Pesticides have negative effects on non-target organisms - Nature Communications Pesticides affect a diverse range of non-target species and the magnitude of this hazard remains only partially understood. Wan et al. found that insecticides, fungicides and herbicides have negative ...

New review: #Pesticides have negative effects on non-target organisms

"we show negative responses of the growth, reproduction, behaviour and other biomarkers within terrestrial and aquatic systems"

"results question the sustainability of current pesticide use"

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

World’s largely unprotected peatlands are ticking ‘carbon bomb’, warns study Bogs and swamps are a colossal carbon store but their continued destruction would blow climate change targets

Draining the world's peatlands for farming and mining is releasing so much CO2 that if it was a country, it would be the 4th biggest polluter in the world after China, the US, + India.

And the associated losses in biodiversity are vast.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Liz Truss called solar farms a “blight on the landscape”, but researchers have found they are actually better for birds than farmland

Solar farms in East Anglia had greater bird diversity & bird abundance than nearby arable land, a study finds

Paper here later www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

You have to love Bluesky, where a post about hedges blows up.

"Humanity’s war on nature is ultimately a war on ourselves.
It’s time for the world to adopt a far-reaching biodiversity framework — a true peace pact with nature — and deliver a green, healthy future for all." @antonioguterres

No time to wait. #ActOnClimate

#biodiversity

@alicegroom.bsky.social : In winning the argument with treasury, there's an opportunity to talk about capital vs revenue. They're more open to capital investment and more nervous about revenue. So that's an in.

#GAevent

@alicegroom.bsky.social : the government are missing a trick. There are opportunities to take some of the well paying options within the SFI and start that transition.

#GAevent

⏰ #GAevent starting in one hour ⏰

Featuring: @lydiacollas.bsky.social , head of natural environment at Green Alliance; Daniel Zeichner MP; farmers Tim Coates and Naomi Oakley; and
@alicegroom.bsky.social , head of farming at @rspb.bsky.social .

Can't make it? Stay tuned for live updates 🧵 ✅

Lydia is now joined for a panel by two farmers featured in today's report Tim Coates and Naomi Oakley, from Dunthrop Farm and Challacombe Farm, respectively, and @alicegroom.bsky.social , head of farming at @rspb.bsky.social .

#GAevent

Q: What did you want to hear in the ministers speech that you didn't hear?

@alicegroom.bsky.social : Need a metric system that can give certainty on what's needed, and some confidence.

#GAevent

8/ This study highlights the importance of scaling up and refining ELM to deliver real benefits for biodiversity. With the right support, farmers can play a crucial role in reversing the decline of nature🐦💚

7/ Lessons Learned:
🔸 Entry Level measures alone won't stabilise bird populations.
🔸 Broader adoption of tailored Higher Tier measures is key.
🔸 Some species, like the Turtle Dove, need additional bespoke recovery efforts beyond agri-environment schemes.

6/ Current Schemes Fall Short:
Existing schemes (SFI & Countryside Stewardship) aren't delivering enough bird-friendly habitat. To address this, we need:
- A targeted 7% wildlife-friendly package in SFI with expert advice.
- Expand access to the Higher Tier

5/ Why Higher Tier Matters:
Higher Tier measures involve tailored, targeted measures and expert advice. This specificity make them much more effective than Entry Level schemes.

4/ Key Findings:
🔹 Stopping Decline: 36% of lowland farms need Higher Tier measures & 50% need Entry Level to stabilise farmland bird populations.
🔹 Recovery: Requires Higher Tier adoption on 50%-65% of farms.

3/ The Farmland Bird Index tracks the abundance of 19 bird species. It's a key measure of biodiversity health in agricultural areas. Stabilising or increasing this index is vital for reversing nature loss.

2/ Background:
The study evaluated past Environmental Stewardship agreements across three English landscapes. It modelled how "Higher Tier" (7% targeted bird-friendly habitats with advice) & "Entry Level" (3% habitats without targeting/advice) impacts the Farmland Bird population

1/ A new study demonstrates the levels of agri-environment provision needed to halt and reverse farmland bird declines in England. Here's what they found: 👇https://tinyurl.com/yynjju9y @rspb.bsky.social

📢 THREAD: How Environmental Land Management Scheme Can Halt Farmland Bird Declines in England ?🐦🌾

Looking forward to the Oxford Farming Conference starting tomorrow. First session 'Farmers Weekly Question Time' where I will be discussing the importance of government support for nature friendly farming www.fwi.co.uk/sp/questiont...

The increasing use of the Farming Resilience Fund shows how vulnerability farming is to climate change. Government must support a transition to nature and climate friendly farming

a man with a beard is wearing a cowboy hat and smoking a cigar . ALT: a man with a beard is wearing a cowboy hat and smoking a cigar .

11/ So all in all government still have a lot to do to support a transition to resilient nature friendly farming

10/ 🌍 With mounting pressures on rural communities, investing in nature-friendly farming isn’t just good for farmers—it benefits us all, securing clean air, water, and a stable climate.

#SustainableFarming #NatureRecovery #ClimateAction #ELMs

9/ 🔧 What’s needed?

- ring-fenced Higher Tier budget
- A nature-friendly farming advice service to help farmers adapt.
-An accessible, scaled-up Higher Tier scheme to unlock the potential of England’s farms with 3000-4000 new agreements a year

8/ Over 6000 farmers are stuck in lower paying legacy Higher Level Stewardship agreements, and Defra has no clear plan to transition these by the 2028 cut off. They need to be able to support 3000-4000 new higher agreements / yr not 500

7/ 🛑 This leaves an £800M annual funding gap that threatens:

- Nature recovery.
- Farm business resilience.
- Progress in some of England’s most biodiversity-rich landscapes, like uplands.

6/ 📊 New economic analysis finds that £1.3bn/year—or 49% of the ELMs budget—is required for Higher Tier if England is to meet its legally binding nature and climate targets.

a close up of a man 's face with a hat on and a mustache . ALT: a close up of a man 's face with a hat on and a mustache .

5/ Well frankly no... 💷 Just 15% of the ELMs budget is spent on Higher Tier, Landscape Recovery, and legacy HLS agreements combined, due to delays in Higher Tier rollout.

a man with a beard is wearing a cowboy hat and a jacket and says howdy . ALT: a man with a beard is wearing a cowboy hat and a jacket and says howdy .

4/ so all good right??? absolutely nothing to see here...