The RSPB, working with a Cheshire-based water company, has launched a scheme to improve the quality of drinking water and maintain wildlife habitats after having taken over tenancy of a farm at Haweswater, Cumbria.

The new land management scheme set up between the RSPB and Unitied Utilities on Naddle Farm, Haweswater will tackle erosion, which affects water quality, and aims to restore wildlife habitats.

Haweswater, which is already a wildlife reserve and home to many rare upland birds, including England’s only breeding pair of golden eagles, supplies drinking water to two million people. The organisation has already been involved in work with farmers in the area to protect water and boost wildlife populations.

The RSPB said it hopes to adopt a slightly different form of land management to cut down on erosion by boosting soil health, which will in turn improve water quality; the charity has recommended farmers in the region control artificial inputs and keep livestock away from areas of open water where necessary.

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