A new collaboration aims to show how farmers can work together to achieve the recovery of some of the UK ’ s most threatened farmland bird species , including grey partridge , curlew and lapwing . The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust ( GWCT ) is working with a group of Shropshire farmers to establish the The Corvedale Farmland Wildlife Project , which will put farmland conservation techniques based on the Trust ’ s extensive research into practice on the ground .

Dr Roger Draycott , who is leading the project for the GWCT , said : “ In developing this new demonstration project we are aiming to show that by following our tested , research-based management measures for grey partridge recovery , including habitat improvements and predation control , other species such as curlew and lapwing will benefit . And by working with farmers across the Corvedale we hope to show that putting measures in place on a landscape-scale , rather than just individual farms , greatly increases the chance of significant bio-diversity gains .”

The grey partridge is widely considered to be a barometer of farmland biodiversity : where the conditions exist for it to thrive , other wildlife will too . Sadly , their numbers have declined across Europe by more than 90 % since the 1970s . In the same period , lapwing numbers have plummeted by 80 % and curlew have been in long term decline , with numbers halving in the last 20 years , making it Britain ’ s most urgent bird conservation priority .

The GWCT has been monitoring abundance and breeding success of the grey partridge since 1933 with its Partridge Count Scheme ( PCS ) gwct . org . uk / partridge . The launch of the Corvedale project coincides with the annual PCS Spring Count , when farmers and gamekeepers are asked to record partridge numbers for a national database .

The new project is aiming for the recovery of the grey partridge and red-listed waders in the Corvedale . It will also provide opportunities for participating farmers and the GWCT to share knowledge with the wider agricultural

community . Land managers , conservationists , educational groups and policy makers will be able to visit the Corvedale to see the GWCT ’ s wildlife-friendly management measures in action . Training and education in wildlife and conservation management is central to the project and organisers hope that it will also help inform the development of agri-environment policy following Brexit .

Frank Bury of the Millichope Estate , which is supporting the project through the Millichope Foundation and on estate farms , said : “ Since 2017 we have established a network of 6m conservation margins extending 13Km on our arable farmland and instigated predation

control . We have seen encouraging signs of lapwing and curlew breeding success . We look forward to working with GWCT and other farms in the area to support this worthwhile project .”

To allow it to demonstrate long-term results , the project will run for a minimum of five years with an initial group of farms . Dr Draycott said : “ Ultimately we hope to develop a Farmer Cluster * across the Corvedale , allowing the farmers to continue working together for bio-diversity gains on a landscape-scale well into the future .”

As the project begins the Corvedale Farmers and GWCT advisors are developing land management plans , including crop rotations , cover crops , pasture and water management , that can support a healthy population of wild partridges , curlew , lapwing and other conservation priority species . Best-practice predation control will manage the numbers of generalist predators to reduce their impact on ground-nesting birds . Liam Bell , head gamekeeper for the project said , “ This is an exciting project and I have no doubt it will further illustrate the important role timed , targeted predation control plays in the reestablishment of iconic red-listed species such as the grey partridge and the common curlew .”

Monitoring will be at the heart of the project , with land managers being trained to carry out surveys of bird and insect populations surveys ( which provide food for chicks ) to track the effects of the conservation measures land managers put in place .

For more information on wildlife-friendly farming please visit gwct . org . uk / advisory /