Drop down into the Esk Valley at in the by the Local community and supported both North York Moors and a feel ing of financially & technically by the F&RCS, he is timel essne ss qui ckly d escen ds. Th e the official caretaker for these three patchwork of fields and the open moorlands communities. He collects the litter, he cuts seems always to have been there. It is not thistle, he maintains the village features, he hard to imagine the many generations of clears the streets from snow and he does people who have lived here. Old stone trods much more. Contracted on a self-employed mark the routes where farmers and travellers base, Simon Taylor is willing to make the most once walked as they journeyed through the of his new job: "This is an exciting project and area. Yet, this is a place where the past meets it is an ideal opportunity for me to expand my the present. business".

Many farms still run moorland sheep flocks Linda Grout from Castleton Community which are 'hefted' on the open moor (i.e. Group and Danby Group Parish Council flocks establish their own territory within the admits that having a caretaker has been a open, common land area). Many of the dream the area has had for many years. "Now original dry stone wall boundaries remain, we have Simon", she says, "it's up to us and retaining a pattern of small fields that has our communities to make it a success".hardly changed since the early nineteenth century. "The Farm & Rural Community Scheme

demonstrates just how much can be achieved But returns from moorland sheep are poor through partnership working", Fraser Hugill,

and in this traditional landscape with small F&RCS Project Officer comments. "It is the farms and extensive grazing, many farms are interest and commitment of local people that economically unviable. There is increasing is making the difference which everyone is pressure to increase farm size or leave starting to see in the landscape. The lessons farming, changing the face of the landscape from the scheme will play an important role in and changing the face of its villages. achieving what must be the objective of any

rural policy: to have a sustainable That's where the Farm & Rural Community environment, vibrant community and a viable

Scheme (F&RCS) comes in as an rural economy". They all agree that this experimental project to support farming and project turns ideas into reality, that it gets rural communities in this area. And that's people working together and that it should be where Simon Taylor, a local man from the model for a new generation of rural Westerdale, comes in. He takes care of the schemes.communities of Castleton, Commondale, Westerdale and more recently Danby. Hired

The 9.000 ha project area lies at heavily on agriculture and tourism. the Northern edge of the North York Agriculture is dominated by upland Moors National Park. It includes five beef and sheep enterprises. A typical villages, approximately 50 farms, and a farm has 57 hectares of inbye land total of 625 households. It was (improved grazing land), 325 sheep expanded in 2001 from its original and 31 suckler cows. Tourists and day 5.000 ha to include the whole of Danby visitors are drawn by the beautiful parish as well as the original parishes National Park landscapes, villages and of Commondale, Westerdale and part the nearby National Park Centre and of Danby. The project area depends North York Moors railway.

The North Yorkshire Moors Upland Land Management Initiative, known locally as 'The Farm and Rural Community Scheme' (F&RCS), forms one of nine "Land Management Initiatives" being run by the Countryside Agency to explore how agriculture and other rural policies should change in the future. The F&RCS is an experimental scheme promoting integrated rural development in a remote and marginal rural area in the North of England. It is designed to explore ways in which regional, national and European policies can be strengthened to deliver social, economic and env i ronmen ta l objectives in upland England. It is being developed and implemented as a partnership between the local c o m m u n i t i e s o f C a s t l e t o n , Commondale, Danby and Westerdale in the Upper Esk Valley, the North York Moors National Park Authority and the Countryside Agency. Additional support and advice is provided by Yorkshire Forward, the European Union, DEFRA, Yorkshire Rural Community Council, Scarborough Borough Council, North Yorkshire County Council and various other local partners.

The Farm and Rural communi ty This involves representatives of the project Scheme has three objectives, to: sponsors, local authorities, Yorkshire Rural

Community Council, Parish Councils, the 1. Test ways of involving local communities Com mun ity Gro ups and loc al lan d

in identifying their social, economic and manager. environmental objectives;

Capital funding for community projects - 2. Develop a scheme, based on the EU including projects such as access

Rura l Deve lopment Regu lation, to improvements, funding of feasability study ach iev e th ese obj ect ive s in an into needs of the elderly, and the integrated way (i.e. 'integrated rural enhancement of village features. development');

Land Management Agreements (LMAs) - 3. Create stronger links between farmers voluntary whole farm five -year agri -

and communities. environment agreements, drawn up in partnership with the farmer. They include

Key elements to achieve these objectives req uir eme nts suc h as the pos iti ve are: management of habitats and repair of

traditional landscape features such as field Community involvement - Meetings were boundaries and traditional sandstone held with local communities and farmers buildings. before the project began to help shape the scheme and identify ideas and set Farm appraisals - an Upland Farm pri ori tie s. Com mun ity Gro ups wer e Appraisal Scheme has been developed established by the local communities in the w h i c h d r a w s t o g e t h e r s o c i a l , scheme area . These cont inue the environmental and economic aspects of a consultation process, generate their own farm business.ideas for local projects which are then funded with Community Grants. Research - An economic report and an

assessment of countryside character and Strategic direction - a strategic plan was environmental capital provide background developed at the start of the project and the information and analysis to help scheme scheme is guided by a Steering Group. development and monitoring.

© North York Moors National Park Authority Simon Taylor, a local man from Westerdale, works as community caretaker for the Upper Esk Valley.

The Background

Achievements

The Objectives

The Area

The F& RCS has: ! improved traditional buildings, river bank ! been wide ly and en thus iast ical ly fencing and regeneration of landscape

accepted in the area features! planned and comple ted many ! improved grazing management

community projects identified by local ! piloted integrated farm appraisals! communities ! made improvements to v i l lage ! encouraged the local community to environments and cultural features

adopt a proactive role in rural development As a result:! supported projects with individual ! new businesses have been started and

landowners and farmers old businesses diversified ! provided training and advice ! new jobs have arisen directly from the ! increased uptake and coverage of agri- scheme

environment measures improving ! local tourism is getting support farmers ! management of the area's landscapes develop their businesses in a sustainable

and habitats way.

Joining Up Farming and the Community

© John Knight The Golden Pilcher is one of the many species that benefit from a reversal of long-term decline in essential moorland management.

© North York Moors National Park Authority Visitors at the Environmental Fair at Sutton Bank National Park Center discover easy ways to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

Rural Developmentand Environment:

Initiatives thatMake a Difference

© North York Moors National Park Authority Farming Dales

© North York Moors National Park Authority Heather Moorland

Funding

Environment

Between 1995 and 2001 a broad range of EU funded partnership projects have been running in the North York Moors. All these projects have aimed to benefit the environment, economy and communities of the National Park. Until March 2001 these projects received financial support from the European Union under Objective 2 as '5b' projects. The Environmental Improvements Programme, which included the Farm Scheme and the Upland Management Scheme, had a budget of €1.277.000 (£810,099) with 40 percent coming from EU. Other programmes included the Moorland regeneration with a budget of €4.492.000 (35 percent from Europe) and the river Esk regeneration Programme with a budget of € 458.700 and 39 percent from Europe. The Farms & Rural Community Scheme is designed as a five year pilot project, which began in August 1999. The planned project budget over the five years is € 851.000 with € 60.000 coming from EU. This supports a project officer and other co-ordination costs and project research, and provides around €112.500 each year to support land management agreements, farm appraisals, grants for community projects, capital funding and other grants. The whole area is within the Less Favoured Area and all beef and sheep farmers are eligible to claim the Hill Farming allowance under the Rural Development Regulation.

This part of the North York Moors is an open landscape with few trees, characterised by heather moorland and generally with improved grassland in the valleys. There are six basic landscape character types: moorland plateau, lower moors, moorland riggs, lower dales and moorland valleys. The majority of moorland within the project area is designated as Site of Special Scientific Interest and SPA (Special Protection Area) or proposed SAC (Special Area of Conservation) and requires sustainable grazing levels to manage it effectively. Changes of the rural structure are contributing to a breakdown of the traditional hefting system and, in contrast to most upland areas in Britain, the North York Moors are generally suffering from undergrazing. The North York Moors are home to a rich wildlife including the Golden Plover, Merlin and the Red Grouse, Curlew and Lapwing. Juniper trees and bushes, early colonisers in the North York Moors since ten- to fifteen thousand years ago, are now threatened as are other species.

Contact

Fraser Hugill Farm and Rural Community Scheme Officer North York Moors National Park Authority The Old Vicarage Bondgate Helmsley York Tel: 01439 770 657 f.hugill@northyorkmoors-npa.gov.uk www.northyorkmoors-npa.gov.uk

Stuart PasleyCountryside AgencyVictoria WharfNo.4 The EmbankmentSovereign StreetLeedsLS1 4BATel: 0113 246 9222Stuart.pasley@countryside.gov.ukwww.countryside.gov.uk

WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by :

- conserving the world's biological diversity- ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable- promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption

WWF European Policy Office

Elizabeth GuttensteinAgriculture & Rural DevelopmentAvenue de Tervuren 36 Box 121040 BrusselsBelgium

Tel : +32 2 740 0924Fax : +32 2 743 8819www.panda.org/epoemail: eguttenstein@wwfepo.org

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North York Moors - United Kingdom Joining up Farming and the Community

Author: Angelina Hermanns - WWF European Policy OfficeEditor: Elizabeth Guttenstein - WWF European Policy Office