Natural Environment

Duchy Stewardship

Working towards sustainability

The stewardship of the Duchy’s land and property is guided by environmental integrity, concern for the physical and social fabric of the estate, and the economic sustainability of generating an income for current and future Dukes. To this end the Duchy encourages its farming tenants to pursue practical conservation measures alongside commercial farming and the estate invests significantly in environmental projects.

Sustainability involves finding a balance between economic, social and environmental interests. This means taking a long term view so that in meeting our own needs today we should not compromise the interests of future generations.

Although the Duchy can determine the way it runs itself as a business, the role on the let estates is limited to managing the landlord and tenant relationship. It follows therefore that changes in land management take place as a result of encouragement, co-operation and incentive rather than simply by decision and implementation.

An ongoing audit helps to establish the current position of the Duchy with regard to stewardship objectives and leads on to proposals for action and the setting of realistic targets, against which monitoring can take place.

Examples of actions and targets include:

40 percent of mainland farms are currently subject to ESA or Countryside Stewardship agreements and although these schemes are now closed to new entrants, the Duchy aims to have 80 percent of its farms included in the new Entry Level Stewardship Scheme by 2008.

95 percent of Duchy woodlands are certificated by the Forest Stewardship Council and is under ‘continuous cover’ management.