Biodiversity projects at Hafren Dyfrdwy Our target this year was to put in place biodiversity improvements across 100 hectares of land, yet we looked to go beyond this figure. When added to our work with the RSPB, our partnerships with regional Wildlife Trusts will see us achieve 208 hectares of improvements this year. We look to collaborate on projects we know will improve the wider environment, and our work with North Wales Wildlife Trust focuses on improving SSSI sites that are open to the public, offering local communities improved access to nature. The first project, at Marford Quarry Nature Reserve (SSSI), involves landscaping and clearing scrub to create wildflower-rich grassland at a former gravel quarry that is one of the richest habitats in Wales for invertebrates such as bees, ants and wasps, as well as the only site in North Wales for wild liquorice. The second, and larger, project starts next year at Minera Quarry Nature Reserve. With an industrial history spanning over 400 years, the quarry was mined for lead and limestone and now has areas at different stages of re-colonisation by nature. Our injection of project funding will make an enormous difference in achieving the aim of creating a mosaic of habitats – woodland, grassland and aquatic, where rare, threatened and protected plant, invertebrate, bird and aquatic species can flourish. Also in our plans is support for the ambitious Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust Pathways for Pearls project. This aims to create a well-connected, wildlife-rich landscape between the towns of the county, of particular benefit to pollinators and very much focused on the rare pearl-bordered fritillary butterfly. The project also aims to inspire local people and tourists, and raise awareness of the value and benefits for all. Creating a Commonwealth Games legacy As part of our support for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games, we’ll be working to create 2,022 acres of forest in the Midlands, for our communities to enjoy long after the Games have passed. The trees will also play a vital role in absorbing thousands of tonnes of carbon emissions. Working in partnership Through partnerships, we can build the scale required to achieve our goals and create a thriving natural environment. It’s a big job and we need some help along the way. Sometimes our partners bring technical capacity or expertise we don’t have in house. It’s part of our strategy to continue working with some of the most loved and recognised organisations in the UK, but we also work with up to 9,000 farmers in our region, as well as with customers and local community organisations. Landscape Enterprise Networks Working through the Midlands Landscape Enterprise Network, initially in collaboration with the National Trust and Nestlé, we are looking at ways of connecting businesses that share an interest in funding nature-based solutions. This will start by funding habitats on farms in the Upper Dove and Upper Derwent catchments. Over time it will involve new businesses, and offer the potential to fund anything from peatland restoration on remote moors, to cycle tracks and greenways on the edge of towns. STEPS The Severn Trent Environmental Protection Scheme offers grants for farm projects that will bring water-quality improvements. In the last five years, we’ve distributed over 1,500 grants, worth more than £5 million, negating the need for £74 million of investment in our treatment processes. On-farm advice Over the last decade, our 21 farm advisers have built strong relationships with 98% of the farmers in our priority catchments through one-to-one advice, workshops, training and our SOFA (Specialist On-Farm Advice) visits. We visit farms alongside specialist contractors to take samples and provide advice on managing soil, nutrients, water and pesticides. This includes a comprehensive report and recommendations with links to our funding opportunities. Farming for Water Improving the quality of our rivers How farmers manage their land in our catchments is one of the key determinants of the health of our region’s ecosystem, both on land and in water. Discharges from agriculture are the most significant cause of any failure to meet the Government’s targets for good ecological status in rivers. Our catchment-management programme, Farming for Water, works directly with farmers to reduce these discharges, at the same time as boosting on-farm biodiversity, providing grants and free advice to help achieve our aims, and improve the farm environment. Now we are investing to expand Farming for Water further. Through extensive analysis, we’ve identified areas where water quality is especially sensitive to how the land and crops are managed, allowing us to prioritise. In some of our catchments we estimate we can reduce farming's contribution to phosphates in watercourses by up to 66%. Our ambitious plans cover 44 catchments and 432,000 hectares, and will see us working with two-thirds of all farmers in our region. This is way above our regulatory commitment to achieve 16 successful catchment-management schemes (when a scheme has met a specific pollution target) by 2025. At the end of year 1, we are ahead of target with six catchments, and remain on track to meet the 2025 target with a further 10 catchments. Progress over the year We run many schemes within our Farming for Water programme. This year, although COVID-19 has restricted the amount and type of farmer engagements, we’ve managed 1,811 COVID-safe meetings with farmers, received 429 STEPS (see right) applications, signed 42,542 hectares of high-risk crops (those needing a lot of pesticide) up to our Farm to Tap scheme, and removed three tonnes of unwanted pesticides from farms. We also launched our Swap your Nozzle scheme, ensuring over 30,000 hectares of agricultural land now has pesticides applied with more accurate low-drift nozzles – reducing the risk of pesticides drifting into watercourses. Some farmers have asked to defer their STEPs grants due to wet weather and Covid affecting their ability to progress the work. To help increase uptake of our schemes, we are running our main STEPs scheme continuously over the next 12 months, rather than having a shorter application period. We are also prioritising the funding available for items that will have a greater impact on our pollution-reduction targets. Looking after the world around us Enhancing our natural environment continued Moors for the Future Farm to Tap Read more online Moors for the Future Run by the Peak District National Park Authority, Moors for the Future partners alongside us include the Environment Agency, National Trust, Pennine Prospects, RSPB, United Utilities and Yorkshire Water. The partnership has so far transformed over 34 square kilometres of bare and degraded peat bogs in the Peak District National Park and South Pennines – and from 2020 to 2025, we will continue to work on over 600 hectares in the Upper Derwent Valley, improving moorland and restoring peat bogs. Farm to Tap Our Farm to Tap scheme rewards farmers for producing clean run-off from their farms and keeping pesticides out of watercourses. The scheme works at a catchment scale rather than by individual farm. The encourages co-ordinated action between landowners and farmers to take greater responsibility. The scheme has contributed to a 64% reduction in peak pesticide concentrations coming into our treatment works, improving drinking-water quality and helping reduce energy, chemicals and costs in our processes.