Restoring the Fal catchment for farming, nature and communities

The Fal Rivers to Reef project is working to restore the Fal catchment for farming, nature and communities by taking an innovative source-to-sea approach to restoring 18,000 hectares of land. The Fal catchment is one of the most beautiful areas in Cornwall, but its beauty masks some real issues affecting nature, water quality and farm profitability.

A group of people passionate about the Fal catchment, including farmers and landowners, have come together to shape an achievable vision for how this special place can be made more resilient for future generations. Over the coming years subject to funding, the project aims to support farmers and landowners to:

• Increase water storage (by 1 million litres).
• Create 20 ponds & 20km of swales.
• Plant 45km Cornish hedges.
• Establish 150km buffer strips.
• Manage invasive species.
• Restore 100ha grassland.
• Plant trees, including new hedges, orchards and agroforestry.

Farmers and landowners in the Fal catchment have been custodians of this unique landscape for generations. They are passionate about the catchment and its unique characteristics. Until recent years farmers have been encouraged to intensify to get the most out of every parcel of land. We now know that some modern farming practices can be damaging to the local environment and are not sustainable in the long term – impacting profitability, nature and communities.

The Fal Rivers to Reef team are actively seeking funding from a wide range of sources to assist farmers and landowners in the Fal farm cluster. They’re inviting farmers and landowners to join the farm cluster which aims to support sustainable, profitable farming that also benefits the wider environment. By joining the cluster, you’ll be part of a community that can help shape the future of farming in the area. Cluster benefits will include access to funding, free farm resilience plans, workshops and a machinery ring. To find out more, chat about joining the cluster, or find out what funding may be currently available for your business, please email our Farm’s Officer via falfarming@cornwall.gov.uk
 
The team are also curating a Farming, Food & Nature Hub, on behalf of the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Local Nature Partnership, at stand 286 at the Royal Cornwall Show on 5^th-7^th June. The Hub is all about connection between people and place, food and farming, and nature and will be a hive of activity, offering a space to learn, share, and be inspired by the beauty and resilience of Cornwall’s countryside. It will feature key organisations offering free support and advice to landowners from organisations such as the Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB), Business Info Point, Cornwall Wildlife Trust, Cornwall National Landscape, Farm Net Zero, Forest for Cornwall, the National Trust and Westcountry Rivers Trust and there will be talks, demonstrations and activities to get involved with including live Cornish hedge building, topical panel debates, a sustainable food trail and a free Saturday sunflower giveaway. Bring along a handful of soil and you can get free soil sampling by Symbiosis Soil Lab.

You can also pop along to the Hub to find out more about the recently published Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Nature Recovery Strategy which sets out how and where there are opportunities to restore these important landscapes. Alternatively, visit https://letstalk.cornwall.gov.uk/hub.page/nature-recovery  to find out more.

This article was written by Cornwall Council’s Nature Recovery Team.

This article was published in The West Britton, The Cornish Guardian and The Cornishman.