Our ref: 12084
Invitation to participate in project to understand impact of Agri-environment schemes
A group of research organisations led by Land Use Consultants (LUC) are working on a project on behalf of Natural England to understand the effectiveness of agri-environment schemes. This project is part of a programme of monitoring to assess the impact and effectiveness of Agri-Environment schemes which is carried out by Natural England on behalf of Defra. Other research organisations working on this project are the Countryside and Community Research Institute (CCRI) based at the University of Gloucestershire and Environment Systems Ltd (ESL).
You are receiving this letter because you have had an agri-environment agreement in the past that was included in a previous monitoring project. The aim of this project is to understand how these schemes have influenced the environmental condition of the land and the businesses that manage the same land and that around it. The project will conduct a field survey and an interview;
- A field survey looking at the ecology, landscape, heritage and resource protection aspects undertaken by surveyors from ESL and LUC. They will ring you in the next few days to seek your permission to participate in this project
- A face-to-face interview with a researcher from CCRI where your views on the agreement and land management will be sought. The CCRI researcher will contact you separately in order to arrange a convenient time to visit you or to arrange a suitable alternative which may be online. A small number of CS mid-tier agreement holders may have a shorter follow-up interview.
Your participation in this project is entirely voluntary. Before you decide whether you would like to take part, please read the accompanying project information sheet that provides more information about the kind of data we would like to collect in the field survey and how we would like to use it. Please also read the privacy notice, which sets out how we will comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the 2018 Data Protection Act with regard to your data if you decide to participate.
There will be an opportunity to read the published research upon completion. If you want to know more about the project go to https://landuse.co.uk/luc-defra-agri-environment-agreements/
If you require further information about the project being conducted by Land Use Consultants, please do not hesitate to contact ann.conquest@landuse.co.uk Tel. 0203 995 7889 or Andrew Cole (Andrew.cole@naturalengland.org.uk)
Yours faithfully,
Ann Conquest
Associate Director, Land Use Consultants
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