Press Releases - 2014

The past four years have been challenging for an inspiring wild bird restoration project on the Rotherfield Park Estate in Hampshire, where researchers from the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, working in collaboration with estate staff have been battling to save one of our most threatened farmland birds, the wild grey partridge.

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has announced that its second Big Farmland Bird Count will take place between 7th and 15th February 2015. This leading UK research charity is asking farmers, landowners, birdwatchers and gamekeepers to spend 30 minutes recording the species and number of birds seen on one particular area of the firm this coming winter.

Over the past forty years, the wild grey partridge - one of Britain's most iconic farmland bird species - has been in rapid decline. Grey partridge numbers have plummeted by more than 80% and, tragically, because of habitat loss and a reduction in essential chick food insects, they have become locally extinct in many areas of the country.

A giant black grouse caused a flap at St Madoes Primary School on Thursday (11 September) when it arrived to help launch the 10th annual GWCT Schools Art Competition.

Efforts to secure a more promising future for hen harriers in England moved a little closer this week as an e- petition calling for Defra to publish its Hen Harrier Joint Recovery Plan achieved more than 10,000 signatures. This means that Defra is now obliged to respond in writing about their response.

GWCT research is becoming a beacon of light in an increasingly challenging environment for game and wildlife. As wildlife populations continue to decline, is there too much talk and not enough action? The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust will be posing this question at its 2014 Members’ Conference on the 29th October 2014. 

Concern is growing that food supplies would run out in days without imports. Despite more efficient use of fertilisers and the advantages of modern technology, crop yields have stagnated over the past 20 years and UK self-sufficiency is the lowest for nearly two decades. According to recent research this could be a serious indication that our soil is worn out. 

The GWCT has been contributing to a study commissioned by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to investigate how corvid traps are used under the current General Licence system in Scotland. The next stage of this project is now being conducted by SASA, who are asking for volunteers to help keep simple records of their catches and to allow SASA staff to remotely monitor trap activity using trail cameras.

A 1.25 MILLION Euro EU Life+ funded project will help farmers in the Avon Valley between Salisbury and Christchurch reverse the fortunes of the iconic and much revered lapwing, which has suffered a dramatic decline over the past 20 years. The species is red-listed as a bird of conservation concern in the UK and conservationists believe that as well as habitat loss, predation of nests by foxes and crows is a major factor limiting lapwing recovery.

The appearance of new insect species, particularly grasshoppers and crickets on the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s Allerton Project research farm in Leicestershire indicates that climate change is having an impact on wildlife, according to the Trust’s researchers.