Outcome 3: Securing the future of farming and forestry, nature recovery and climate change

What are we trying to achieve?

1. We will champion farming led nature recovery, supporting agricultural transition and delivery of the multiple public goods and benefits identified in the 25 Year Environment Plan.
2. We will deliver the ambition and vision of the nature recovery priorities identified in the Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
3. We will maintain, celebrate and strengthen traditional Lake District farming systems including the livestock, the food its produces, and the land management practices that support our natural and cultural heritage that are essential to the Lake District National Park Special Qualities, and sustain World Heritage Outstanding Universal Value.
4. We will support profitable farming, forestry and land management businesses, maintaining traditional land based skills and sustaining our agro-pastoral farming system.
5. We will develop and grow the network of landscape scale nature recovery areas and delivery approaches that combine farming, forestry and land management choices to achieve nature recovery, and a broader range of multiple public goods and benefits.
6. Farming, forestry, land management working together to achieve net zero or negative carbon by reducing emissions, investing in our natural capital and increasing carbon storage by 2040. 
7. Farming, forestry, land management and nature will become more resilient to the impacts of climate change and help to reduce the impacts of climate change on people and landscape.

Key transformative actions to achieve our ambitions

FFNC.act.1

Deliver a Partnership agricultural transition support approach to enable viable business adaption, farmer-led nature and climate recovery, and maintenance of the cultural landscape by:

1. Joining up and filling gaps in existing business and environmental advice for farmers, foresters and land managers, including through projects such as the Farming in Protected Landscapes-funded Farm Cluster project and the Upland Farmer Toolkit.
2. Delivering the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme to secure the climate, nature, people, and place themes.
3. Support project delivery and future bids to Landscape Recovery Schemes and share learning to understand how they can secure the future of the National Park Special Qualities and attributes of World Heritage Outstanding Universal Value.
4. Partners to collaborate to support a high take-up and secure successful delivery of Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier schemes.
5. Develop projects to secure a blend of finance opportunities for natural capital from private, charitable, public, and other sources, share learning, and explore delivery models.

FFNC.act.2

Supporting the emerging Cumbria Local Nature Recovery Strategy by delivering the Lake District National Park Nature Recovery Plan, championing and resourcing the recovery of priority and protected habitats and species.

1. Working with individual farms, farm clusters and community land management initiatives to increase understanding of options for nature and climate recovery, maintaining cultural heritage, and identifying and co-creating farming-led local nature recovery projects and landscape recovery pilots.
2. Delivering targets for woodland creation and restoration schemes in line with the Partnership’s ‘Tree planting and woodland creation guidelines’.
3. Delivering targets for peatland restoration schemes coordinated through the Cumbria Peat Partnership.
4. Supporting the delivery of the species recovery projects for Pine Marten and Freshwater Pearl Mussel.
5. Work with the Cumbria Local Nature Recovery Strategy team and partners to develop an effective and efficient Cumbria-wide partnership approach for assessing, recording, and sharing the condition and extent of priority habitats.
6. Preparation of a Wild Deer Management Strategy by March 2025.

FFNC.act.3

Reduce farming and other land management greenhouse gas emissions and increase land-based carbon sequestration through delivery of Zero Carbon Cumbria Partnership’s Farming and Other Land Use Emission Reduction and Sequestration Action Plan to contribute to a Net Zero Cumbria by 2037 and support farmers and land managers on climate adaptation by:

1. Securing resources, promoting, and delivering carbon budget assessments for individual farms, farm clusters and community farming initiatives.
2. Promoting and supporting delivery of farming-led carbon reduction or carbon storage measures, including using the learning from farm carbon audits.
3. Promoting and supporting farmers and land managers in delivering climate adaptation and resilience through nature-based solutions, focusing on natural flood management and improving soil health.

FFNC.act.4

Maintain, celebrate and strengthen traditional Lake District farming systems by

1. Preparing and publishing an updated Lake District Shepherds Guide in 2025 to establish a baseline of fell-going flocks to understand and support the viability of hefted flocks.
2. Increasing number of Commons in successful agri-environment schemes and landscape recovery pilots and projects to sustain and enhance the value and benefit Commons provide.

FFNC. act.5

Support the Love Windermere Partnership in its delivery of actions to improve the water environment of Windermere, and align the Lake District National Park Partnership’s Partners and Plan with the Love Windermere Partnership and programme.