BRIDE – Biodiversity Regeneration in a Dairying Environment

The BRIDE (Biodiversity Regeneration In a Dairying Environment) Project addresses the critical issue of biodiversity loss on intensively farmed land. Unlike traditional agri-environment schemes, which often overlook intensive farming, BRIDE focuses on enhancing wildlife habitats at a landscape level. The project introduces a results-based payment system that rewards farmers for tangible biodiversity improvements rather than actions that may not yield results. Additionally, the project aims to bridge the gap between farmers and consumers by fostering a market for food that also delivers ecosystem services, showing that sustainable farming and productivity can thrive together.

Project introduced a results-based payment system to incentivize farmers to enhance biodiversity on their lands. In 2018, 43 farmers across East Cork and West Waterford had their farms mapped to assess "Space for Nature" (SFN), ranging from 4% to 80%. The goal was to bring all farms up to at least 10% SFN. The project developed a custom mapping portal and app for accurate biodiversity assessment and habitat scoring, resulting in a Farmland Biodiversity Index (FBI) for quality rating. This initiative led to the branding of "Farming With Nature" for sustainable products, connecting eco-conscious consumers with farmers. Additionally, the app allows farmers to document and monitor wildlife on their farms, creating a personalized species list over time.

Throughout its six-year run, this project maintained high visibility:

- with significant media coverage

- highlighted in research by Nuffield scholars and PhD candidates

- yearly visits were organized to demonstration farms

- was developed BRIDE Farm Habitat Management Guidelines book

- more farmers expressed interest in farm walks to learn from its success.

In result many practices from the project have been incorporated into the new ACRES agri-environment scheme.

The habitat scorecards developed by project are versatile tools applicable across various farmland habitats and regions, focusing on enhancing biodiversity, water quality, and carbon sequestration. This template, which promotes both the quantity and quality of farmland biodiversity, is particularly timely with the upcoming Nature Restoration Law and can inform more targeted payments in future CAP plans.

Also the project has developed a scalable template to guide farmers from low biodiversity levels (e.g., 4% Space for Nature) toward a target of 10% through results-based payments. This approach assigns value to non-productive farm areas - the part of the farm that delivers higher ecosystem services. Look here for ideas for biodiversity.

Innovative technology, such as the FWN web portal and app, plays a critical role by enabling fast and accurate mapping and verification of biodiversity improvements. We are now able to differentiate between farms as to their individual biodiversity levels. This means that improvements can be measured as time goes on and as restoring nature will become part of the farming experience for the next 50 years.

From early in the project, it became very apparent that policy as much as bad farming practices were the main drivers of biodiversity loss. No incentives were available to increase biodiversity levels because all payments that farmers were receiving were based on volume of product produced with no emphasis on delivery of any ecosystem service. It is hoped through the newly designed FWN logo and trademark that by putting this on a food product that comes from a farm with a minimum 10% SFN, this would lead to a change in consumer behaviour as food purchased with this certification would mean farmers are at long last getting a signal from the marketplace that is contributing directly to their income and not through subsidies. This in turn would reconnect the farmer directly with the consumer and create a positive appreciation by both parties - something that is badly lacking at the moment.

You will find more information here: https://www.thebrideproject.ie/

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