A group of landowners and managers has been awarded funding from the Government to develop a transformative approach to land management.
The Upper Irthing PRISM Landscape Recovery Project covers around 9,500 hectares across the Cumbria/Northumberland border up to Scotland and will establish a new model for integrated land management focusing on peatlands, rivers, invasives, species recovery, and meadows.
Led by Forestry England, the project brings together partners, including Eden Rivers Trust, Natural England, the Ministry of Defence, Northumberland Wildlife Trust, and four private landowners.
The initiative will build on successful nature recovery programmes and pioneer new techniques for landscape-scale collaboration that can break down barriers between fragmented land ownership while maintaining productive land use.
Richard Guy, Forestry England Upper Irthing PRISM Landscape Recovery Project manager said: “This is a very exciting opportunity to think differently: longer term, larger scale and in partnership with neighbouring landowners, allowing us to overlook the usual boundaries of land ownership.
Being in the pilot phase of the Landscape Recovery scheme we can – and are actively encouraged – to think innovatively in terms of funding sources and delivery methods to achieve lasting environmental benefits while supporting sustainable economic activity such as farming and forestry.
This will give us the opportunity to learn lessons that can be applied elsewhere as land management adapts to changing conditions in the future, both financial and environmental”.
The Landscape Recovery scheme is one of Defra’s three Environmental Land Management schemes, offering land managers a unique opportunity to co-design custom agreements that deliver environmental and climate goods across large landscapes. Upper Irthing PRISM was chosen for its pioneering ideas to reverse the decline of nature while supporting sustainable agriculture and land use.
Lucy Porrit of Lampert Farm said: “Nature is in crisis. PRISM is a unique opportunity to improve biodiversity for future generations while building a more resilient farm business.”
Over the next two years, the project team made up of staff from Forestry England and Eden Rivers Trust will conduct surveys, gather data, and engage stakeholders to craft a long-term plan that benefits nature, landowners, and local communities.
Central to the project’s vision is the management of natural habitats and species, balanced with economic activity that benefits rural communities.
John Rattray, head of operations of Eden Rivers Trust said: “Eden Rivers Trust is delighted to be a partner in the first phase of the PRISM landscape recovery project covering over 9,500ha in north Cumbria.
“This landscape project offers us the chance to expand on our very successful Water vole reintroduction programme, and, through engagement with local riparian Landowners and PRISM partners, continue the march forward to eradicate North American mink – the invasive non-native species that has decimated water vole populations since being brought to these shores.”
The Upper Irthing PRISM project also focuses on environmental resilience, tackling issues like wildfire prevention, water management, biodiversity, and climate change. While approximately 3,000 hectares of productive forest will remain operational, the project will explore alternative management practices for watercourses and open habitats, providing a test bed for future approaches to land stewardship.
