Evaluation of the effectiveness of the Waterfringe Option Scheme on environmental quality

This document describes an evaluation of the Water Fringe Option Scheme (WFOS) and other agri-environment schemes in England, such as the Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS), Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESAs), Wildlife Enhancement Scheme (WES), and Nitrate Sensitive Areas (NSAs). These programs are designed to encourage farmers to adopt practices that protect and enhance water quality and wildlife habitats. The evaluation, conducted by RPS Clouston for the Environment Agency, employed literature reviews, consultations, field visits, monitoring studies, and environmental reports to determine the effectiveness of these schemes. Findings suggest that while the WFOS shows promise for water quality and habitat improvement, broader land changes are necessary for significant environmental gains. Schemes like CSS and ESA have had a positive impact on biodiversity and landscape, but further monitoring is needed to verify certain benefits, such as the impact of grassland management on water quality. The evaluation concludes that these schemes contribute to environmental conservation but may not fully address all water quality issues. It recommends integrating successful elements of the WFOS into existing schemes and emphasizes the need for inter-agency collaboration to optimize land management for water environment protection. **This summary was written by an AI model and therefore should not be considered a definitive summary of the report. If you are aware of inaccuracies, please email evaluation.registry@cabinetoffice.gov.uk.**

Description

• Lead department: Closed organisation: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
• Evaluation stage: A complete evaluation report
• Other departments: No other departments listed
• Evaluation types: Process evaluation
• Process methods: Individual interviews; Other
• Grant information: This intervention is not distributing funding via a grant
• Government Major Project information: This intervention is not a major project
• Policies: No policies provided

Event Dates

• Event Name: Publication of final results
• Event date: January 1998

Evaluation Costs

• Cost: Not provided

Evaluation sharing

• Link(s) to published report(s): Yes
• Links to evaluation plans: No link provided
• Findings: Not provided
• Permission to share confirmed: Yes