Natural England and Defra have awarded LUC a contract to resurvey Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) and Countryside Stewardship (CS) Agreements.

LUC is leading this three-year monitoring project in partnership with the Countryside and Community Research Institute (University of Gloucestershire) and Environment Systems Ltd. The project will assess how HLS and CS agreements contribute toward environmental outcomes across multiple scheme objectives.

LUC will survey at a range of scales, using different methods to assess how each agreement is delivering biodiversity, landscape, historic environment and resource protection outcomes. We will also examine how scheme options contribute to the mitigation of and adaptation to climate change on agreement land.

We will explore how the commitment and circumstance of the agreement holder have influenced the outcome of the agreements. Our work will consider factors such as farm type, ownership and social influences.

We are also exploring the role of scheme guidance in the shaping and delivery of these agri-environment schemes and establishing where agreement holders go for their advice and what impact this has had on outcomes.

Learn more about Landscape Planning & Assessment at LUC.