2026

We have grown into so many other branches of countryside management and species conservation, but the principles remain the same throughout – how can we better understand the ecological dynamics of our countryside so that wildlife populations, agricultural production and countryside communities can live and work sustainably alongside each other?

‘From Soya to Sustainability’ is held as part of the NCS project, bringing together expert sources and leaders from across the agri-food sector to disseminate new research and innovation.

Joe Stanley was in the auditorium on 24 February for Secretary of State Emma Reynolds’ address to the National Farmers Union’s annual conference in Birmingham.

 As natural nesting sites decline through changes in land use and tidier management of woods and gardens, well designed nest boxes have become an increasingly valuable addition to the landscape. National Nest Box Week is a chance to celebrate these simple structures and the role they play in supporting some of our most familiar species.

Do you know how to tell the difference between a House Sparrow and a Tree Sparrow? They can be easily confused, so it’s important to know what to look for when you’re trying to tell them apart.

Reading the draft management plan raised several concerns not least that the greater focus on Protected Landscapes, which refers to National Parks and National Landscapes (formerly AONBs), in meeting government targets is providing the framework for them to seek to increase their influence beyond existing governance boundaries. 

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust is urging all shoots across the country to take part in the National Gamebag Census – the only national survey recording the number of gamebirds shot each season.

What better time to optimise your bird identification efforts than now? With the Big Farmland Bird Count in full swing and before spring truly springs it seems appropriate to highlight a key scientific paper that can help focus your efforts.

Many of us will not be direct custodians of the land but we have an empathy with the rhythms and cycles of the rural way of life, having lived and worked within it. Given this, it is with great sadness that I feel the rural way of life is at risk from the urban-centric focus of our national and international policies.

"I was disappointed to read The Telegraph’s take on the Baseline Agricultural Training programme being delivered by the Allerton Project, especially the comments of Shadow Defra Secretary, Victoria Atkins under whose government a highly successful pilot was run (‘Clueless’ civil servants sent to farms to learn how they work, 7^th February)."