Methods

The ecological effectiveness of the schemes has been studied by comparing the situation in the field with the ecological national conservation targets. This has been supplemented with a more detailed analysis of the schemes and the policy performance, with a questionnaire filled in by those involved, from who a selected number were also interviewed. Cash flows have also been inventoried, and ecological information has been compiled from literature surveys and field studies. 

The ecological effect of management has been evaluated on two levels:

• Have the agreed scheme targets, i.e. all the requirements for qualifying for a subsidy through the Stewardship Programme and the Forestry Commission been achieved?
• Have the national conservation targets set out in national policies been achieved?  

Data used

Monitoring data from the Stewardship Programme and the Forestry Commission – which is only available in digital form for a limited number of sites – is difficult to compare. As a result, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (MNP) has had to fall back on data that was not collected to monitor and evaluate the Stewardship Programme and the management of the Forestry Commission. Other data sources, such as the records of the National Vegetation Databank and national monitoring data from the Ecological Monitoring Network, have been used. In addition, data has been collected through additional field work in various types of pastures. For meadow birds, it was possible to make optimum use of a national monitoring project conducted in 2006 as part of the project, ‘organisational costs of partnerships’ from the Stewardship Programme (SAN-OS).

• Back to the report