Environment
The countryside plays a key role in maintaining the quality of our environment, not only in rural areas, but in cities and suburban areas too.
Water
70% of our drinking water comes from the upland areas of the UK. We all rely heavily on the water that occurs naturally in the countryside to keep the water flowing through our taps. The way land is managed can have an important influence on water quality and mitigating flood risks, so farmers are integral to managing this important resource. Water quality has been improving considerably over the last two decades.
Carbon
A huge amount of carbon is locked up in the soils and vegetation of the countryside. Managing these areas carefully is therefore vital to help keep this carbon in place and prevent it from being released into the atmosphere and contributing to climate change.
There is more carbon locked into the peatland that covers 8% of the UK than in all the forests in France and Germany combined and it is calculated that if all the damaged bogs in England and Wales were brought back to pristine condition with the help of the farmers that graze them, this would store carbon equivalent to 2% of annual car emissions in England and Wales, or removing more than half a million cars from the road every year.
Biodiversity
Rich biodiversity underpins the fragile balance of the natural environment on which we all depend. When species become extinct, key elements of the ecosystem disappear and biodiversity declines. This can be dangerous as if more and more species are removed, the ecosystem becomes more fragile and less resilient to shocks such as a sudden change in climate.
The UK’s rural areas are vital for preserving biodiversity. Britain's hedgerows are home to an abundance of wildlife. They provide farmers with a natural boundary between fields and they trim them out of the nesting season to provide a breeding ground for birds and other wildlife. Many farmers also create 'wildlife corridors' by leaving a strip of grass around the edge of the pastures, plant trees and wooded areas and establish ponds to attract wildlife.
