“For science, land management, gamekeeping or agriculture students, the new GWCT Student Membership is a must, ensuring that you are up to date on the latest research-based findings in your field,” says James Swyer, the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s Press and Publications Manager. “For any student with an interest in wildlife, conservation or the future of the British countryside, our Student Membership gives you access to our fascinating projects and pioneering research, all for just £2 a month.”
Benefits of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s (GWCT) new online-only Student Membership include access to digital versions of the GWCT’s members’ magazine (issued three times a year), more than ten of the Trust’s best-selling books and key research publications, and regular email updates on the GWCT’s pioneering conservation research.
Student members also have the chance to see the GWCT’s work in action on a guided tour of its pioneering Allerton Project farm at Loddington (COVID-19 permitting), as well as access to dozens of unique courses and events taking place throughout the year. Student Membership costs just £24 a year, or £2 a month.
GWCT membership supports the Trust’s world-leading conservation research, which is used to develop game and wildlife management techniques and influence government policy. Recent GWCT research has included major papers on moorland management and gamebird releasing.
Earlier this year Trust researchers showed that creating clean-water ponds on farmland can dramatically increase levels of freshwater biodiversity. The charity’s scientists have also identified which wildflower species are most beneficial to wild bees and established the importance of bare patches of ground or ‘scrapes’ as nesting sites for solitary bees, an important pollinator for fruit crops.
Putting its research into practice, the GWCT has worked with land managers to successfully restore wading birds to a key breeding site and piloted Farmer Clusters, where neighbouring farmers work together, with the help of an advisor, to achieve benefits for wildlife on a landscape scale.
Full details of member benefits and how to join are available here. For more information on how membership supports the charity’s scientific research, please visit this page.
The GWCT has a long-running association with many of Britain’s universities and agricultural colleges. The Trust takes on undergraduate students on placements, offers up to 20 Masters student research projects annually, and is currently supervising ten PhD students. GWCT advisors also give lectures at agricultural colleges around the country, including the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, and Harper Adams University in Shropshire. Several of the GWCT’s senior scientists hold university visiting lectureships.
Notes to editors
The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust – providing research-led conservation for a thriving countryside. The GWCT is an independent wildlife conservation charity which has carried out scientific research into Britain’s game and wildlife since the 1930s. We advise farmers and landowners on improving wildlife habitats. We employ 22 post-doctoral scientists and 50 other research staff with expertise in areas such as birds, insects, mammals, farming, fish and statistics. We undertake our own research as well as projects funded by contract and grant-aid from Government and private bodies. The Trust is also responsible for a number of Government Biodiversity Action Plan species and is lead partner for grey partridge and joint lead partner for brown hare and black grouse.
For information, contact:
Eleanor Williams
Telephone: 07592 025476
Email: press@gwct.org.uk