Event information
Farming has often been blamed (with some justification) for the decline in British wildlife. However, many farmers, supported by national and international programmes have tried to manage their land with wild plants and animals in mind. Owen has spent most of his research life looking at both the impact of farming and ways to encourage plant life on farmland. This course will examine changes in the flora of arable land over the past century and the actions taken by conservation agencies, NGOs and individual farmers to bring the wild flora back onto arable farmland. It will draw both on national projects with which he’s been involved and the initiatives of local farmers to convert the ‘arable desert’ into a landscape where wild plants have a place.
