THE BERKS, Bucks & Oxon Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group has appointed a new advisor for Buckinghamshire who is hoping to raise the profile of the group.

Tim Bagwell will work from BB&O FWAG's office in Kidlington, Oxon.

Tim, of Clare, near Thame, is from a farming background and spent several years working in Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset, as well as working in New Zealand and Uganda.

The Cranfield University graduate is very keen to see conservation play an important role in present day farming.

He said: "Conservation practices which benefit wildlife and their habitats can be done without compromising productivity or economic performance."

FWAG works directly with farmers, land managers and landowners to encourage farming methods that take account of the impact on the environment and the landscape.

By doing so FWAG can effectively deliver nature conservation objectives and advice to the wider countryside, 80 per cent of which is under intensive agricultural management.

FWAGs impact in Berks, Bucks & Oxon during 1999/2000 is impressive with advisers carrying out 208 visits on 110 holdings. Advice has included: 16 Whole Farm Conservation Plans; 35 Countryside Stewardship Scheme applications; restoration and planting of 179 km of hedgerows; and the planting & management of 40 ha of woodland.

For a visit or to be a member write to Tim Bagwell, BB&O FWAG, c/o MAFF, Oxford Spires Business Park, Kidlington, Oxon OX5 1NZ or call (01865) 845156