Countryside

Hello, I'm Anna Jones and this is Entertainment. In this programme we're
　　going to be taking a look at a different kind of entertainment that's available to
　　everyone and is also free to use.
　　Today we're talking about the countryside and we'll be hearing from Helen
　　Phillips who's the new chief executive of the new countryside agency known as
　　“Natural England.” Natural England has been set up to be a source of advice
　　and help for farmers and a protector of the environment. Is Natural England
　　only concerned with the countryside though – what does Helen say?
　　Helen Phillips
　　I would say that Natural England is as much about the urban environment as it is about the
　　rural environment and in many ways making the connection between both.
　　Anna:  Helen says that Natural England is not just about the rural environment or
　　countryside, it's also concerned with the urban or city environment. She says
　　that it's an organisation which tries to “make a connection” between the two
　　environments. If you try to make a connection between two things then you try
　　to bring them closer together in some way. Helen goes on to talk about where
　　Natural England will spend some of its money. She says that three hundred
　　million pound will go to farmers and other people in rural communities to help
　　protect the environment. This money will help to maintain and enhance
　　habitats– it will help to improve important habitats. Habitats are the natural
　　surroundings in which a plant or animal usually lives. The money will also
　　protect different species – species are a set of animals or plants in which the
　　members have very similar characteristics to each other and can breed with
　　each other.
　　But what other practical actions will this money achieve in rural areas? Have
　　listen to Helen – what does she say will happen to the uplands?   The uplan
　　are areas of land that are situated high up such as a hill or a mountain. And
　　what does she say will happen to the peat lands? Peat lands are areas of land
　　covered in a dark brown earth-like substance which was formed by plants
　　dying. Here's Helen:
　　Helen Phillips
　　Three hundred million pounds of our payments are going to farmers and other people in rural
　　communities and what they're doing in many ways is not only making sure that we maintain
　　and indeed enhance important habitats and protect species for everybody but also take very
　　practical actions for instance, if the uplands and the peat lands are managed properly they
　　become carbon sinks rather than carbon emitters, they make sure the water is restored in a
　　proper way so its much cheaper to treat when it comes down to the cities and towns and the
　　water treatment works. It can reduce the flood risk. If the uplands are managed properly it can
　　reduce flood risk in downstream towns by up to 20% . So there are huge connections about
　　managing the land in an integrated way for the whole of the community.
　　Anna:  Helen says that if both the uplands and the peat lands are managed properly by
　　the farmers then they become “carbon sinks” instead of “carbon emitters. So
　　instead of emitting or sending out harmful carbon gases, the uplands and peat
　　lands become like sinks – the gases are absorbed or sink into the earth. The
　　farmers also help to make sure that the water from the hillsides is looked after
　　in a proper way so that it's cheaper to treat at the water treatment works in the
　　cities. Helen says that if the uplands are well managed by the farmers the risk
　　of flooding occurring in nearby communities is reduced – it goes down by
　　about 20%. So the whole community benefits from the land being well looked
　　after.
　　But what about coastal areas – areas of land next to the sea? How will Natural
　　England ensure that people can enjoy the coast as well as the countryside?
　　Helen Phillips
　　We need to make sure that people get more access to the coast – we will be doing more work
　　now on how it is we get access for folk to enjoy the coast.