Press Releases - 2025

Conservation work to detect and protect curlew and other ground-nesting birds in Wales have been given a helping hand by new AI monitoring technology used by researchers from the Game & Wildlife Conservation trust and Liverpool John Moores University.

Lee Oliver has been appointed Director of the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) in Wales, and former GWCT Cymru Director Sue Evans has taken up the role of Policy Director.

Rob Mearns and five-year-old mare Twiggy have won the Fred Taylor Memorial Trophy for Working Hill Ponies at the GWCT Scottish Game Fair.

The results of this year’s GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count (BFBC) point clearly to the success of agri-environment schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and make a strong case for government continuing to invest in farmer-led conservation, in order to meet nature recovery targets.

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust is promising another exciting and informative display at our stand at the Game Fair at Ragley Hall on 25-27 July where we will be launching our new publication: Game For Nature – Why released gamebird management is a lifeline for declining farmland biodiversity. Our farmed landscape, which accounts for 72% of land in this country, and its symbiotic relationship with sustainable game management is our main theme this year.

The Duke’s Challenge charity event held at Alnwick in Northumberland has raised an unprecedented £685,000 for the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) - the UK’s leading independent wildlife research charity.

A survey of ground nesting birds on around 3,000 acres of moorland in north Northumberland has shown dramatic declines of iconic threatened species 10 years after predation management ceased as part of a controlled experiment spanning two decades.

The GWCT, after ten years of conservation success, has taken the difficult decision not to renew its lease on Auchnerran Farm when it expires later this year. Our goal was to transform a formerly neglected yet biodiverse landscape into a profitable and sustainable farming operation. Over the last decade this vision has been realised.

Having started his GWCT journey spending a year as a BSc student in 2010, Nick joined GWCT’s Uplands Research team in 2017 with a PhD in Biodiversity and Community Ecology and has worked on a variety of both English and Scottish projects, including research on red and black grouse, capercaillie and wading birds, and most notably has led on GWCT research projects on mountain hares in Scotland.

The GWCT Scottish Auction raised more than £110,000 for vital research and conservation work aimed at preserving and enhancing the rural way of life in Scotland.