This map shows all land currently in Agri-environment Schemes, together with areas that are targeted for funding under Higher Level Stewardship (part of the Environmental Stewardship Scheme or ESS) - these are known as HLS Target Areas.

These Schemes are publicly-funded and provide payments to farmers who, in return, agree to manage their land for the benefit of the environment. A range of different management activities will be undertaken under each of the Schemes listed in the map legend.

You can click anywhere on the mainland to see which HLS Target Area you are viewing, and link from the listed features to the relevant Target Area Statement on the Natural England website. Outside of Target Areas, you will find Regional Themes, with links to Regional Theme Statements where you will find detailed information on the Regional priorities for HLS outside Target Areas.

You can also click on any of the agreements shown on the map and find out which Scheme that land is in. For Environmental Stewardship Scheme, Countryside Stewardship Scheme and Environmentally Sensitive Areas scheme agreements (which are all managed by Natural England), details are provided on who the agreement holder is, their location, the total area covered by the agreement, the total amount they will be paid over the lifetime of the agreement, the amount they have been paid to date, and the date the agreement is scheduled to end. Only Schemes that are visible on the map will be reported.

All ESS and CSS agreements provide a link to a page on the Natural England website that provides further details about the scheme agreement options that apply, including a brief explanation of the environmental benefits.

Land that is in Agri-environment Schemes is NOT generally available for public access, except where access is specifically included as part of the agreement with the farmer, or it is conferred by legal right (e.g. Public Right of Way or Access land mapped under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000) or by some other separate permission. Where an agreement does include the temporary provision of public access ("Permissive access"), this is shown on the map by a special symbol. An additional link is also provided from the agreement summary to the agreement's access details on the Natural England website. Whilst we make very effort to ensure that the information we provide on permissive scheme access is accurate and up-to-date, there may be occasions where the Natural England website does not hold details about permissive access for an agreement. Natural England will make every effort to ensure that any such errors are detected early and dealt with swiftly so that we continue to maintain an effective and valuable public service.

To find out more about Agri-environment schemes managed by Natural England, follow this link: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/farming/funding/default.aspx.

To find out more about HLS Targeting, follow this link: http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/farming/funding/es/hls/targeting/default.aspx.

To find out more about public access provided through these Schemes, including a sites search facility, follow this link: http://cwr.naturalengland.org.uk/.

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