December

This week, in line with its manifesto promise, the government has announced its new Animal Welfare Strategy, setting out plans for ‘generational reforms’ to animal welfare it hopes will help protect wild, farmed, and companion animals across the UK.

Our experts will be studying the detail of this new strategy and providing a full response in due course. In the meantime, we wanted to provide some initial thoughts on the implications for introducing a close season for hares and limiting use of snare devices.

I like to think of myself as an ant colony. Each cell is ant, and many different cells (ants) work together to form the complex higher entity that is Me (the ant colony). This might sound a bit insane, but it has a real scientific basis, and one that I explored in depth during my DPhil.

Where do birds live? Many still imagine robins in hedgerows or owls in hollow trunks. But waders, gamebirds, warblers, buntings, pipits, chats, larks, wagtails, nightjars, waterfowl, gulls, terns, even raptors like short‑eared owls - all of them are ground nesters.

When I started my degree in Environmental Science at the University of Sheffield, I knew I wanted to do a placement year, it was just a question of what. I chose Sheffield because of its proximity to the Peak District’s open landscapes, and throughout my first year I developed a keen interest in wildlife and conservation through several modules.

As winter seems to be in full swing, many organisations are encouraging us to feed the birds. They are reminding everyone to maintain consistency, while also advising on what and how to feed for the best results. This is largely targeted towards garden birds, which can be significant when our gardens make up 4.6% of the land use in the UK. However, farmland makes up a huge 72% of the land use in the UK.

10 December marks the official end of the grouse-shooting season in the UK. Thus, it provides an excellent opportunity to update on the results of the health testing in red grouse carried out by the GWCT Advisory Services in Scotland in 2025.

Fingask Castle on Sunday 7^th December was the setting for a great day of celebration for a select group of youngsters as they were awarded for their artistic talent. 

This week the Government published an updated Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) following the rapid review initiated in July 2024.  This revision now links the goals with commitments and actions so there is a pathway to delivery.  But will these actions achieve their aim?

Director of Research Dr. Andrew Hoodless explains more about the ground breaking project researching common snipe migration that you can support through the GWCT Snipe Appeal.

A group of local farmers has set-up a new on-farm water testing laboratory to monitor the health of the Bourne, a tributary of the River Avon.