Much of Carmarthenshire's land is used for farming on both enclosed and unenclosed land and agriculture has a major influence on the county's biodiversity. Farmers and landowners therefore play a vitally important role in ensuring that existing biodiversity is maintained and enhanced.   

Changes in agriculture over the pst 50 years have led to a general amd marked loss of grassland species. However, while other parts of the UK have witnessed major changes in agricultural practices, the pastoral nature of the county along with its topography has ensured that agricultural changes in many parts of the county have been less marked.

The major influences on habitats within the county have been related to the change from hay production to silage, increased drainage and increased grass productivity by the use of artifical fertilisers and reseeding.

Higher stocking rates have also contributed to a decline in biodiversity in many areas. In addition, many types of habitat have become fragmented and if these remaining habitats are to flourish, new approaches are needed which combine farming practices that are sympathetic to biodiversity with the economic requirements for food production.

Incentives for favourable Land Management Agri-environment schemes encourage a balance between agricultural production and environment protection and enhancement and offer financial incentives to encourage farming practices that are more sympathetic to biodiversity. 

Such agri-environment schemes that apply to Carmarthenshire are administered by Countryside Council for Wales, Forestry Commission (FC), Agricultural and Rural Affairs Department (ARAD), National parks and other oublic bodies and include:

l Tir Gofal
l Organic Aid/Organic Farming Scheme
l Forestry Commission Woodland Grant Scheme
l National Park Discretionary grants and Agreements.

Tir Gofal

Tir Gofal was introduced by the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) in 1999 and is administered byCCW. It replaced and expanded a number of existing schemes including Tir CYmen, Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESAs), the habitat Sceme, Hedgerow Renovation Scheme and many others. Tir Gofal is an all-Wales, whole Farm agri-environmental scheme that provides payments for farmers to manage exsisting valuable habitats on thier farms to benefit nature conservation with voluntary options for managing, creating or improving other habitats.

Common Land

Common Land is crucially important to many farmers in Carmarthenshire, for without the right to graze on their land many farm holdings would not be viable. Much of Carmarthenshire's landscape consists in part of common land, with its typical mosaic of habitats, including acid grassland, wet and dry heath, blanket bog and ffridd. These habitats are important for many upland birds, a variety of small mammals and the brown hare. Unfortunately common land is under threat in a number of ways including over and, in some cases, undergrazing, uncontrolled burning, bracken encroachment, motorcyles and 4-wheel drive enthusiasts.

Forestry

Forestry is another major land use in the county that has a significant affect on biodiversity. It is estimated that approximately 13% of the county is wooded. About 22% of the woodland in the county is thought to be of ancient origin, and 14% of the county's woodland may be considered to be both ancient and semi-natural.

Ancient woodlands (thos that are considered to have been in existence since 1600, if not earlier) over 2 ha in size cover approximately 3% of the county, and this figure includes significant areas of conifers on ancient woodland sites.

In 1996 the Forestry Commission introduced Woodland  Improvement Grants under its Woodland Grant Scheme, specifically targeting biodiversity conservation. Grants are available for undermanaged woods, including funding for the restoration of coppice and for woodland biodiversity. Supplements are available for planting new woodland on agricultural land, including the National Assembly Agriculture Department's Farm Woodland Premium Scheme. The launch of the Wales Woodland Strategy in 2001 offers a new, targeted approach that will greatly assist biodiversity conservation.

Advice

Advice to landowners on how to manage land for biodiveristy is very important. While the County Landowners and Buisness Association (CLA), the National Farmers Union of Wales (NFU) and the Farmers Union of Wales (FUW) are all active in promoting environmentally sensitive farming, the availability of on-the ground advice from advisors with a strong agricultural and environmental background is essential. Conserving biodiversity within the  agricultural sector is a particular challenge and one that involves a wide partnership, from delivery of national and local incentive schemes and advice to forecasting change and influencing policy. The NFU, FUW, CLA, CCW, CC, Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) and the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group (FWAG) have a continuing important role to play within this partnership.

The aim of Carmarthenshire's Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) will be to inform both owners and advisers and to influence their actions. Action stemming from the plan therefore will have to be clearly relevant to the farmers and landowners, who manage a large proportion of our countryside.