Environmental Stewardship (ES):

• Higher Level Stewardship (HLS)
• Entry Level Stewardship (ELS)
• Uplands Entry Level Stewardship (UELS)
• Review of Progress

Energy Crop Scheme (ECS)

ES handbooks:

• Revisons to the ES handbooks - update September 2008 (.pdf 42kb)

Current consultations

• Consultation on the implementation of Part 2 of the Commons Act 2006 (commons councils). Defra is seeking views regarding the establishment and operation of Commons Councils under Part 2 of the Commons Act 2006 from partners and stakeholders over the autumn. Deadline 28/11/08

Other useful links

• Defra: The Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) 2007-13
• Defra: Environmental Stewardship
  • Entry Level Stewardship - with links to various guidance doucments including the ELS Handbook (Second Edition Oct 2008)
  • Higher Level Stewardship - with links to various guidance doucments including the HLS Handbook (Second Edition Oct 2008)
• Natural England: Energy Crop Scheme

HELM: Farming the historic landscape: guidance documents

English Heritage, ALGAO and Defra have jointly produced a number of guidance documents aimed at farmers, land managers and farm advisers. These are all available from the HELM (Historic Environment Local Management) website (http://www.helm.org.uk/server/show/nav.005005001) as .pdf files:

• Farming the Historic Landscape:an Introduction for farm advisors (3250kb)
• Farming the Historic Landscape: Entry Level Stewardship (615kb)
• Farming the Historic Landscape:: Caring for Archaeological Sites on Arable Land (1121kb)
• Farming the Historic Landscape: Caring for Archaeological Sites in Grassland (791kb)
• Farming the Historic Landscape: Caring for Farm Buildings (971kb)
• Farming the Historic Landscape: Caring for Historic Parkland (519kb)

Also available from HELM

• Biomass and the Historic Environment