GWCT News Blog

You might have seen recent reports about the release of captive-reared Turtle Doves into the countryside as part of efforts to help reverse the decline of one of Britain's most threatened farmland birds. While everyone involved shares the same goal of restoring Turtle Dove populations, the key question is whether releasing captive-reared birds is the most effective and scientifically justified approach at this stage. 

The GWCT will be submitting an independent, very thorough and very detailed response, which will include the most comprehensive list of peer-reviewed scientific evidence, research reports and papers. However, there is a real need for shoots, shoot owners, shoot managers and gamekeepers to respond to this Call for Evidence to provide data and evidence that the GWCT does not hold.

After 18 months in which the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) – Defra’s flagship mechanism to help farmers deliver the food and nature outcomes on which this nation depends – was closed, farmers had less than six hours to submit their applications for three-year periods of funding before the door was once again slammed shut.

The Deveron, Bogie & Isla Rivers Charitable Trust and partners are developing a new farmer cluster in the King Edward Burn catchment in north Aberdeenshire near Banff. Following on from a successful farmer cluster workshop held in Turriff in February, the project will bring farmers together to share knowledge, access advice and funding opportunities, and take practical steps to build more resilient and sustainable farms.

Today marks the coming into effect of the new licences to make muirburn on non-peatland and peatland respectively. This means that, as of today, it is illegal to make muirburn in Scotland unless under a valid licence issued by NatureScot.

Our gamebird experts and policy teams are currently pulling together over 25 years of data and peer-reviewed, published evidence on the management of released gamebirds, in preparation for submitting a thorough response to this call for evidence.

The transition to regenerative agriculture is an opportunity for farmers to improve soil health, strengthen resilience and reduce reliance on costly inputs. But what does that transition actually cost, and who should bear the risk?

Over the past two years, the kestrel monitoring project led by Dr Francis Buner set out to improve our understanding of the reasons behind the decline of the species.

As the leading independent, scientific, evidence-based organisation on gamebird management, the GWCT very much looks forward to engaging with Defra over the coming weeks as part of this call for evidence.

A BBC News report from last week rightly celebrates the good news that two broods of three Montagu’s harriers have successfully fledged at a “secret location” in the south of England.