Monitoring the outcomes of Higher Level Stewardship: Results of a 3-year agreement monitoring programme (NECR114)

The need for rigorous monitoring of AES has been recognised since their introduction in 1987, and for the new schemes, Natural England has worked with Defra to plan and deliver the Environmental Stewardship Evidence Plan. The study described in this report is a major component of that plan, with the objective of providing a thorough evaluation of HLS, its component processes and its potential to deliver planned outcomes.