Hundreds of millions of taxpayer pounds have been poured into green farming schemes in national parks while protected sites in the same places have degraded, a new ENDS Report documentary, WILDERNESS, has revealed.
It has prompted NGOs and political figures to call for “guarantees that the money paid to farmers to deliver nature’s recovery does just that”, and for ministers to take advice from scientists rather than “caving in to the demands of backbench Tory MPs”.
ENDS’ film focuses on Dartmoor, but not one of England’s national parks can boast more than 60% of its SSSIs as being in good health, with the vast majority of parks struggling to see even one third of their Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in good condition.
So which parks have received the most money while protected sites decline in them? Our ranking reveals a distinct disparity between the success of SSSIs in lowland national parks as compared to their upland counterparts. Here’s the ranking:
1. The Lake District
£69m has been paid out via Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) grants in the Lake District since 2009 - but just 23% of SSSIs in the park are in ‘favourable’ condition. These are schemes explicitly designed to improve nature in high priority areas.
While it has received the most money of all England’s national parks, it ranks in 6th place in terms of SSSI condition.
2. The Yorkshire Dales
£55.8m has been paid out via HLS agreements since 2009 in the Yorkshire Dales - 29% of SSSIs are in ‘favourable’ condition.
It ranks in 5th place in terms of SSSI condition.
3. The Peak District
£52.8m has been paid out via HLS agreements since 2009 in the Peak District. Here, just 16% of SSSIs are in ‘favourable’ condition.
While ranking in the top three for money spent, it comes in in the bottom three national parks for SSSI condition.
More from WILDERNESS
WATCH THE FILM: WILDERNESS - The wounding of England's last great wild spaces
Paid to Fail: How the taxpayer bankrolled the decline of England’s last great wild spaces
MAPPED: The sites where Higher Level Stewardship funding has been paid out
MAPPED: England’s wounded wildlife sites: the latest data on the health of SSSIs
MORE: £330m poured into failing green farming schemes, ENDS investigation reveals
4. Northumberland
£23.1m has been paid out via HLS agreements since 2009 in Northumberland - 33% of SSSIs are in ‘favourable’ condition. While not a high percentage, it means when compared to other upland national parks, Northumberland has the protected sites in the best condition.
However, it still trails well behind the lowland national parks.
5. Dartmoor
£30.3m has been paid out via HLS agreements since 2009 in Dartmoor national park, where just 19% of SSSIs are in ‘favourable’ condition.
Earlier this year, Natural England told farmers signed up to HLS agreements in Dartmoor that in order for their contracts to be renewed, a significant proportion of livestock would need to be removed from the moors - in order to protect the SSSIs they farm on.
It sparked a storm, leading to a parliamentary debate, a row back from Natural England, and now an “independent evidence review” of SSSI management in Dartmoor.
In WILDERNESS: The wounding of England’s last great wild spaces, ENDS unpacks what has happened in Dartmoor, the solutions to the conflict, and why what happens here could impact nature and its management across England.
6. New Forest
£26.2m has been paid out via HLS agreements since 2009 in the New Forest, where 53% of SSSIs are in ‘favourable’ condition.
While ranking 6th for amount of money received, the New Forest holds joint second place with the South Downs in terms of SSSI condition.
7. Exmoor
£23m has been paid out via HLS agreements since 2009 in Exmoor, where just 15% of SSSIs are in ‘favourable’ condition.
This makes Exmoor one of the worst national parks in terms of SSSI condition.
8. South Downs
£19.3m has been paid out via HLS agreements since 2009 in the South Downs, where 53% of SSSIs are in ‘favourable’ condition.
9. North York Moors
£16.7m has been paid out via HLS agreements since 2009 in the North York Moors, and just 12% of SSSIs are in ‘favourable’ condition.
This means that North York Moors national park has the lowest proportion of SSSIs in favourable condition, across all 10 English national parks.
10. The Norfolk Broads
£15.4m has been paid out via HLS agreements since 2009 in the Norfolk Broads, where 60% of SSSIs are in ‘favourable’ condition.
This makes the Broads the national park to have received the least money over the last decade, while also having the highest number of SSSIs in good condition.