Search results

  • A year in the news...

    It's been a very busy year here at the GWCT. Here are the top 20 news stories of 2019! Some songbird nests are especially vulnerable to magpie predation - new study suggestsA NEW study has revealed a range of factors that cause a variation in predation by magpies on farmland songbirds. Proposed ...

  • What are peatlands?

    “Appearance blinds, whereas words reveal” - what are peatlands? Oscar Wilde’s maxim is particularly relevant to our peatlands. Many commentators casually or deliberately interchange terms such as moorlands, peatlands and blanket bog. But just because these habitats look superficially similar, the...

  • Greenpeace response fails to acknowledge wildfire risk, but IUCN statement suggests a light at the end of the tunnel

    By Henrietta Appleton, GWCT Policy Officer In August this year GWCT chief executive Teresa Dent wrote a letter to Greenpeace’s Interim Executive Director in response to its petition calling for a complete ban on controlled burning in the uplands. We received a reply outlining Greenpeace’s positi...

  • Teetering on the brink

    Written by Phil Warren, Senior Research Scientist 3 Minute Read   Photo credit: Laurie Campbell In the UK, grey partridges are primarily associated with lowland cereal farms and were common and widespread up until the Second World War. They have since undergone a severe population decline, chief...

  • Why a legally binding target for nature may be counter-productive

    3 minute read By Henrietta Appleton, Policy Officer (England) In May 2021, the government ceded to calls for a ‘net zero’-style target for nature in the Environment Bill by introducing a Species Abundance Target, the detail of which is to be determined and the aim of which has just been strength...

  • Defra declares avian flu prevention zone in south-west England

    Following a number of detections of avian influenza in poultry and wild and captive birds across Devon, Cornwall and parts of Somerset, the UK’s Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer has declared an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) across the region to mitigate the risk of further outbreaks of di...

  • How much upland heather moorland is in the UK?

    For many years, the GWCT and others have used a figure of 75% for the proportion of upland heather moorland found in the UK. The view that the UK contains 75% of the world’s heather moorland has been widely accepted, being found uncited in a range of articles, for example the Ecologist, the RSPB ...

  • Landscape recovery - a different approach?

    Written by Henrietta Appleton, Policy Officer (England) 3 Minute Read The announcement of the Landscape Recovery element of the Environmental Land Management Scheme was greeted with enthusiasm by those who advocate rewilding approaches.  Although the scheme wording does not refer to rewilding, th...

  • Protecting Your Game Birds From Worms: Guest blog from Keepers Choice

    One of the most difficult times of the year is fast approaching for those who rear game birds, with birds going out to wood very soon – if they have not already. Without this time being difficult enough, it harnesses good conditions for parasitic worms to enter pheasants and partridges. ...

  • A lament for Wales

    Written by Mike Swan, GWCT Advisory Services I may be an Englishman, but I am deeply in love with Wales and its wonderful countryside. It all started with early teenage holidays on the Llyn Peninsula, boating, fishing for mackerel and pollack, and birdwatching. From curlews singing over the rush...

Get the Latest News & Advice
Join over 100,000 subscribers and stay updated on our latest advice, research, news and offers.
*You may change your mind any time. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.







Search Filters

Not what you're looking for?
Search our scientific publications