HOPEWELL House Farm has shown it is possible to combine wildlife conservation with profitable farming.

Phil Lyth, farm conservation adviser with North Yorkshire FWAG, said the farm had demonstrated that in many ways. "There is no doubt that John Webster was well ahead of his time and the farm has shown many people how they can farm with wildlife," he said.

Mr Lyth became involved with Hopewell in 1986, when he joined FWAG and began showing groups round the farm. He estimates that, since then, more than 3,500 people in more than 200 groups have been shown round and have included farmers, students, advisers, naturalists, WI groups, schools, and local and national government officials.

International visitors from 14 different countries including China, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Zimbabwe and Scandinavia have also been impressed by what they have seen.

A vast amount of practical conservation work has been undertaken including work part-funded under Countryside Stewardship. More than 18km of 2m grass margins and nearly 7km of 6m grass margins have been created.

"The farm is a different place from 25 years ago, more diverse with a better mosaic of habitats, and wildlife on the farm has generally benefited. In some cases we have slowed, stopped or even reversed national declines in species," said Mr Lyth. "Above all, the farm has been, and still is, a first class demonstration of farm conservation in practice.

"We have been able to show other farmers in a practical way what is involved in, for example, tree planting or hedge restoration, and how these areas develop over the years, providing a stimulus for others to carry out similar work on their own land."

Among lessons learnt was that some declining species could be helped at farm level, while others required a regional or national approach.

Not everything happened as expected and more research was often needed.

Small things could make a big difference, such as the small ponds created on the farm which are two of the most diverse areas. One field in particular was the most diverse area, simply through a small change in management with little or no cost.

Mr Lyth said one key lesson he had learnt was that conservation was as much about people as it was wildlife. "It is about changing attitudes to the environment around us, and how we relate to it. Communication is key, and it is vital that new schemes include a strong element of practical demonstration."

He hoped that Hopewell Farm would become one of the new "leading edge" demonstration farms proposed by Lord Haskin's rural delivery review.

"In the Seventies and Eighties the problem was food surpluses - I look forward to the not too distant future when we may have wildlife surpluses."