Using the Agri-environment Schemes Map
What can I use the Agri-environment Schemes Map for?
You can use the Agri-environment Schemes Map to find out where farmers are being paid to manage their land under a range of Agri-environment Schemes. The Schemes that are managed by Natural England (Environmental Stewardship Scheme, Countryside Stewardship Scheme, and Environmentally Sensitive Areas schemes) present summary information on individual agreements including the amounts of public money paid to the agreement holders – click on an agreement on the map to see. Other Schemes information (Woodland Grant Scheme, English Woodland Grant Scheme) is provided by the Forestry Commission.
The Map also shows individual Environmental Stewardship, Countryside Stewardship and Environmentally Sensitive Area agreements where the agreement holder is paid to allow public access to parts of their agreement area, for the duration of the agreement. By clicking on the map, you can follow a link to another website where you can see further information about these ‘permissive access’ agreements and the specific areas you may visit.
You can also use the map to find out where Natural England are planning to target Higher Level Stewardship agreements for maximum benefit. These HLS Target Areas can be shown at any scale, so you can see how they relate to your neighbourhood or other areas of interest. You can link to the Target Area statements and Theme Area statements (describing the particular priorities for HLS in any given area), by clicking on the map and following the link in the HLS Target Areas results table.
Because there is so much complex information to see, when you are zoomed out the individual agreements are shown as coloured dots. If you zoom in closer, these dots are replaced by coloured areas that show the true extents of the agreements against a detailed Ordnance Survey map.
How up-to-date and accurate is the information?
We aim to provide information that is as accurate and up-to-date as we can.
The Environmental Stewardship agreements change regularly as new applicants are accepted in to the scheme, and others may leave. As a result, the dataset in Nature on the Map is updated on a regular, monthly, basis alongside other map layers such as Sites of Special Scientific Interest. The updates are usually published around the middle of each month.
The ‘Classic’ Schemes (Countryside Stewardship Scheme and Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme) are closed to new applicants, so they are updated less frequently (annually in September, to remove those agreements that have expired). Preparation of this information involves complex data management processes that may mean, on occasion, that we publish errors. On these occasions we will do our best to rectify these errors as soon as possible.
The Higher Level Stewardship Target Areas information was published in November 2008 and at present there are no plans to change them.
Woodland Grant Scheme and English Woodland Grant Scheme information is the same as that published in the MAGIC website (http://www.magic.gov.uk) and is usually updated quarterly.
For the latest information on updates in Nature on the Map, see http://www.natureonthemap.org.uk/news_data.html.
Some of the map tools are different – how do I use them?
The Agri-environment Schemes Map allows you to turn on and off some of the map layers to help you view the complex information clearly and understand what you are looking at.
You can turn on and off the following, by ticking or un-ticking the boxes underneath the map name, to the left of the map page.
- Higher Level Stewardship Target Areas
- Environmental Stewardship Scheme agreements (all 5 types)
- Countryside Stewardship Scheme agreements
- Environmentally Sensitive Areas scheme agreements
- English Woodland Grant Scheme agreements (combines Woodland Grant Scheme and English Woodland Grant Scheme)
When you have turned off one or more of these layers, they will not appear listed in the Information results page that you see when you click on the map. You will, however, still be able to search to find and view any of these features using the Search tool.
(You can also turn on or off the Ordnance Survey background mapping, using the ‘OS’ button under the zoom ladder map control.)
How do I find details about individual Agri-environment Scheme agreements in my area, including which ones I can visit?
Use the navigation tools to zoom and pan around the map, or use the search facility to go to a place, a postcode, or even an individual agreement if you already know its unique agreement reference number or part of the agreement holder's name. If you use the search tool to find a feature from one of the other map layers (such as a Local Authority) you may need to then switch map to see that feature in the Agri-environment Schemes map.
When the map shows you the agreements that you are interested in, click on the map, making sure to locate the mouse cursor over one of the agreements. The map page will then be replaced with a page listing all the features from the map that were located at that point, including the scheme agreement(s).
When you are zoomed out there may be several agreement features found: the first five will be listed.
Some basic information about each agreement is provided –
- Unique agreement reference number
- Agreement holder (“Customer”) name
- the town they are located in
- the name of the Scheme
- the total area (in hectares) covered by the agreement
- the total cost of the agreement
- the amount paid to the agreement holder to date
- the date the agreement ends.
- If public access is provided as part of the agreement there is a link to further details about where you can go.
- There is also a link to a page that will provide details about the work the agreement holder is paid to undertake to improve their land and meet the Scheme’s objectives.
How can I find out if my farm is within an area targeted for Higher Level Stewardship funding?
The Higher Level Stewardship Target Areas are clearly marked on the map as red solid areas when you are zoomed out, or red hatched areas when you are zoomed in.
You can use the navigation and search tools to locate an area of interest, and then click on the map to get to information about what you can see. If you click within an HLS Target Area, you will see information about it – its name, and a link to the Target Area Statement. If you click outside an HLS Target Area, you will see a "Regional Theme", with a link to the Theme Statement relevant to that Natural England Region.
Note that the hard, straight boundaries of the HLS Target Areas are only indicative. In other words, applicants just outside these Target Areas may still be considered for acceptance in to the HLS Scheme if Natural England believes they are sufficiently important.
Individual farms are not routinely or comprehensively displayed, although many farm buildings and names are represented clearly on the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 scale background map. Many parts of individual farms are, however, represented because they are currently under one or more of the Agri-environment Schemes.
Individual scheme agreements (ESS, CSS, ESA) can be found quickly by searching for the unique agreement reference number if you already know it (the format for these is AG1234567 for Environmental Stewardship, 12CSS34567 for Countryside Stewardship, and 12ESA34567 for Environmentally Sensitive Areas agreements).
Where can I find more information about Agri-environment Schemes?
The Natural England website provides more information about Agri-environment Schemes, including the new HLS Targeting approach.
See http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/farming/default.aspx.
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