Collaborative Conservation in Agri-Environment Schemes

Status: Ongoing
Type of Project: Research Report
Principal Investigator: Dr Jeremy Franks, Newcastle University (Email)

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Objectives

The aim of this research project is to explore whether collective contracts will increase the ecological effectiveness of agri-environment schemes (AES). Species’ range and the scope of landscape are typically larger than individual farms, so why are AES options struck with individual farmers on a farm-by-farm piecemeal basis? Collective contracts would allow neighbouring and near-neighbouring land mangers to jointly enter agreements to conserve and protect the environment.

The research will generate insights into the ecological benefits of collective contracts; the barriers land mangers face in working with neighbours to improve the environment, and the role conservation NGOs might play in helping them overcome these barriers.

Therefore the outputs will include (i) a review of the ecological benefits and disadvantage of designing AES at the landscape scale, (ii) the findings from three case studies and a survey of farmer to identify the likely support for collective contracts, the barriers to them participating in such options and the support they would like to help them overcome these barriers, and (iii) findings from a survey of conservation NGOs to examine how they currently function and to determine what role they may play in helping farmers overcome the barriers.

Arguably the primary beneficiary will be the environment. If collective contracts increase ecological effectiveness of AES and increase their economic efficiency, for example, by reducing total transaction costs, there is more incentive for governments to intervene in the market, which would itself help deliver environmental improvements.