Blogs

It is with some frustration that I read the news reports on the recent spate of wildfires across the country...

The GWCT would urge all supporters with an interest in managed heather burning to contribute to the consultation on Defra’s proposed amendments to The Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021.

In March and early April, GWCT staff commenced the 2025 red grouse monitoring season by carrying out pair counts across Scotland. The results of this year’s pair counts indicate a pronounced decrease compared to 2024

Senior Advisor Mike Swan fears that we are heading towards a situation where well-meaning people will push harder for legislation that would make effective predation control all but impossible, much to the detriment of conservation and biodiversity.

Scientific research, practitioner evidence and environmental accreditation are essential for sustainable game management -- the take home message from GWCT’s lowland gamebird conference.

Defra will shortly publish an updated GL43 licence and guidance for 2025 for the release of gamebirds on and within 500m of areas that are Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), but not Special Protection Areas (SPAs). 

Planting hedgerows and beetle banks is a great way of enhancing habitats, but according to Arthur Barraclough at Bright Seeds, the benefits can be multiplied by drilling conservation crops either side of the new wildlife corridor.

Spring has well and truly arrived over the last few weeks. The hillsides are a lot noisier with the return of curlew and lapwing. The black grouse are less in need of shelter with the weather cheering up, so sightings in the woodlands have dropped off, but there’s plenty of other animals to distract us whilst we’re out.

Greyhens are sensitive to disturbance, often leaving their broods unattended, making studying them during this critical period challenging. One potential solution is by monitoring of birds remotely through the use of GPS tags.

The year 2024 has officially been declared “the worst year for bumblebees since records began” by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust. While out in the field surveying pollinators across southern England, GWCT researchers also noticed a shocking decline in bee numbers compared to previous years. And they were not alone. What’s behind these declines?