Read our response to The Guardian's recent article: 'UK bird populations fall to lowest level on record'.
The latest figures showing continued decline of the UK’s bird are shocking but sadly not surprising. The diminishing real-terms funding going to farmers to support environmental work assures that farmland birds will continue to decline as many farms with existing habitat will be forced to plough it up as funding is removed, and those outside such schemes will be unable to join. More downward pressure on our disappearing wildlife will result.
The nature-friendly farming measures we have implemented at the Allerton Project research and demonstration farm show clear cause and effect. This year we recorded the highest ever numbers in songbird abundance on the farm showing a 145% increase since our baseline in 1992, bucking the national trend and proving that it’s possible to integrate modern farming with nature recovery.
For decades we have been able to demonstrate the simple steps which can be taken to recover biodiversity on a landscape scale; if there was sufficient support to enact these measures on a national basis, we would see our precious farmland birds return. Conversely, no amount of well-intentioned hand-wringing is going to change this downward trajectory: if we continue to underfund farmland nature recovery, we will see our long-term declines continue.
Yours,
Dr Alastair Leake, Allerton Project Director
The Allerton Project