Countryside Conservation in England and Wales: the conflict between agriculture and conservation

Abstract

Agriculture was once the guardian of the countryside. The modernisation of British agriculture, however, has impacted on the appearance of the land and on the wildlife. The conflict between agriculture and conservation has become a hot public issue since the late 1960s. This paper discusses the background and the content of the conflict and describes recent efforts to coordinate the farm interest and the conservation interest.
The Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 clarified the defficulties for such coordination and mitigation efforts. The Countryside Commission has started a new grant-in-aid programme for farmers and landowners to encourage conservation-oriented actions on farms. For the local government and other organisations, countryside advisor system is provided. How these programmes will contribute to the enhancement of the countryside should be answered in the years to come.