2025

As a farmer I have always been fascinated by field drainage systems; invisible networks of drainage channels running underneath much of our farmland carrying away excess water to field-edge ditches, thence away to streams and rivers.

By now, most people have heard of the dreaded Asian hornet — large, scary, and most definitely evil-looking… or so the rumours go. Many claim they’ve seen one. But how common are they in the UK, and are they really a problem?

GWCT urges all those involved in shooting, especially those responsible for managing gamebirds and shoot owners, to be vigilant of avian influenza and any control zones implemented in their area. 

Thanks to Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme, we have helped create a safer haven for beach-nesting birds on the North Solent National Nature Reserve in Hampshire. With our partners, we’ve transformed a 1.7ha area of scrub-grassland into an open expanse of coastal vegetated shingle and this tailor-made ‘hotel for birds’ opened for business in March this year.

Game cover crops this year have been a nightmare to establish and although some parts of the country have had some rain, many are continuing to struggle.

In July and August, GWCT staff and their pointing dogs revisited study sites across the North of England and Scotland to count red grouse. After the pair counts in the spring, which aim to determine the number of breeding pairs, these brood counts in July aim to estimate the breeding success. The current monitoring regime extends over 21 sites in England and 24 sites in Scotland. 

In the spring of this year the Upland Research Team in northern England returned to a project that previously ran in 2022 and 2023. The project looks at the maternal condition of red grouse and which factors affect their subsequent breeding success. Red grouse tend to breed quite well, however, after poor breeding years in 2021and 2024, we were eager to pick this project up again.

Crashes in grouse populations in recent years have highlighted the need to better understand grouse population dynamics and the factors that currently influence these dramatic declines. 

The Wildlife Management and Muirburn (Scotland) Act 2024 introduced a new licensing scheme for making muirburn in Scotland. Scottish Government have confirmed that the new will come into effect on 01 January 2026.

Over the past 2-3 years, we have spent much time highlighting to ministers the increasing risk of wildfire to our natural environment. Our concerns are that the current direction of land management policy, particularly in the uplands, is exacerbating this through increasing the fuel load.