Blogs

With the manifestoes from the leading parties taking part in the Scottish Parliament election now available, we’ve summarised the key rural discussion points emerging from the documents.

The haunting call of the curlew is one of the most evocative sounds of the British countryside. Yet behind that wild, bubbling song lies a species fighting for survival. 

At a time of geopolitical and climatic instability, neglecting the economic foundations of food and farming is a risky experiment. A resilient farming sector is not a luxury, but a necessity — for food security, the rural economy and the environment.

There have been varied reports from the 2025/26 season on the potential challenges that shoots have faced.

Radio-tagging and wing-tagging birds has been carried out by the GWCT for research purposes for many years. During the 60s and 70s, a National Game-Marking Scheme was set up by the GWCT to gain an understanding on how the release dates and ages of pheasants effected the overall percentage return.

We have around 50 native species of orchid in the UK. While many are spectacularly beautiful, some are the very opposite of the big supermarket specials – tiny plants with little green flowers that can be very hard to find as they hide amongst the surrounding vegetation.

The GWCT held a wonderful gathering in Hereford in March as guests, supporters, and friends came together to mark the exciting collaboration with Taylor’s Port. 

Recent concerns around avian diseases such as trichomonosis have triggered warnings from the RSPB, and others that bird feeders may no longer always be a helpful way to connect to nature in our gardens, particularly during the summer months. New “feed seasonally, feed safely” guidelines hope to slow the spread of disease, which is largely blamed for declines in species such as greenfinches and chaffinches.

The proposal in the government’s recently published Land Use Framework to license gamebird management suggests a worrying lack of understanding of the fundamental connection between shooting and conservation in some of our most well-loved landscapes.

"Many GWCT members are landowners, farmers, and estate holders who quietly manage complex assets over the long term — often balancing stewardship, legacy, and commercial reality."