THE Dales are one of Britain's most iconic and beautiful landscapes, enjoyed by millions of visitors every year.

This stunning area, of which Yorkshire folk are so inordinately - and justifiably - proud has evolved over centuries to become one of nature's most beautiful British environments.

But it's sometimes forgotten that the Dales, at least as we understand them, are significantly man-made.

And as any landowner, farmer or environmentalist will tell you, it takes a lot of work to keep the Dales looking so good.

One of the major ongoing problems in Craven is how to improve the water quality of the River Aire and its six tributaries in our area - all are currently at risk because of sedimentation from bank erosion and soil run-off.

And one of the organisations helping to tackle the problem is the Yorkshire Farming and Wildlife Partnership, whose advisers say they are striving to "provide good quality independent environmental advice to farmers".

It was set up after the demise of the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group in 2011 by four of the advisers, and much of the team's work has been helping farmers and landowners by setting up environmental stewardship schemes, securing grants for individual farmers and working alongside Natural England, the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Claire Foster, from the partnership, says the Upper Aire project was important as part of a good ecological practice plan which ultimately benefits the land, and therefore the wildlife on it which gets the chance to thrive.

She says: "The involvement of farmers and landowners is voluntary, but so far we have visited around 40 farms and interest continues to grow. The main reason for failure in the Upper Aire catchment area is down to low fish numbers. This can be linked to sedimentation - when soil enters watercourses - which adversely affects fish spawning.

"Sedimentation mainly comes from erosion of banks, which can be caused by natural processes, but is often exacerbated by livestock trampling, intensive grazing and lack of vegetation cover."

Claire explains that added that one of the things the project can help farmers and landowners with is planting of new woodland, which is particularly effective when it is done in steep-sided gills - deeply cut ravines,which usually have a stream at the base. From a farmer's perspective, gills tend to be unproductive anyway. Trees help to stabilise the banks and intercept water run-off, which in turn helps clear the watercourse.

The trees also provide benefits for biodiversity, including new habitat for species such as black grouse, which are present above Otterburn and near Malham, and feed in gill woodland during winter.

Trees along watercourses also improve conditions for fish by boosting insect numbers and providing shade. Improved water quality also benefits other species such as native white-clawed crayfish, and otters, which are then boosted by increased fish populations, says Claire.

Another technique that has proved beneficial for stopping riverbank erosion is willow spiling, where living willow is 'woven' to form flexible and and growing barriers which are both low-cost and ecologically sound.Tree planting can also help reduce flooding in the Aire valley by slowing down surface run-off and intercepting rainfall.

The project has been able to help obtain funding for woodland creation to help farmers and landowners interested in tree planting. It can offer benefits for the farm business as well as the environment. For example, the project can also advise farmers on soil management and effective fertiliser and manure use, to avoid the risk of pollution, and highlight potential ways to save money on input costs and improve crop yields.

Of course, soil erosion is far from the only issue that farmers and landowners are currently having to deal with.

In the offing for farmers are new European Common Agricultural Policy 'greening' rules, which are coming into operation next year.

Says Claire: "The rules will take effect for the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme claim year, so it is imperative that farmers plan their crop rotations and Ecological Focus Areas now in time for the 2014 drilling season. We can provide a short advisory visit to help farmers work through the implications on their own farms. The rules will not just affect arable farmers. Temporary grass is defined as arable land under the basic payment scheme, so dairy farmers in particular will also need to check whether they are subject to crop diversification and EFA requirements."

Contact details for the Yorkshire Farming and Wildlife Partnership are available at www.farmingandwildlife.net