Farmland

Invertebrates play a vital role in the countryside – they pollinate our crops, eat crop pests such as aphids and help to maintain soil and water quality, as well as being an essential part of the food chain. They are also fascinating and often beautiful animals in their own right. However, invertebrate numbers have been showing an alarming decline in the past few decades, having knock-on effects on other wildlife.

There are lots of things that farmers can do to put the richness and colour back into the countryside. Buglife has produced a new set of leaflets offering advice to farmers and landowners on management techniques that will benefit the invertebrates on their land and improve the health of the countryside. Each leaflet outlines some simple measures that will help to encourage invertebrates on farmland habitats. They also contain detailed information on the Environmental Stewardship options that will benefit invertebrates.

Featuring superb colour illustrations and practical tips, there are four titles in the ‘Managing Farmland Habitats for Invertebrates’ series, covering four types of habitat:

· Grassland
· Ponds and ditches
· Hedgerows and cereal field margins
· Woodland