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Farmers joined forces with conservationists from the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group South West (FWAG) and Floodplain Meadows Partnership in the floodplain meadows of the Severn and Avon Vale to help save the curlew. – one of the UK’s rarest crossing birds – as part of the new Flourishing Floodplains project running from 2022-2023.
Once a common sight and sound in the British countryside, curlews have become a rare part of our rural life due to changes in their lowland habitats, such as the loss of species-rich floodplains, and a abundance of predators. The UK holds a quarter of the world’s population but in our changing landscapes they are increasingly unable to raise chicks so their populations are declining rapidly – the number of breeding birds has dropped by approx. about 65% since 1970.
Fearing that the species would not survive without intervention, the Flourishing Floodplain project in the Severn and Avon Vale was deemed crucial to inform curlew protection work across the country. This year, researchers found 18 nests – an improvement over previous years when numbers were lower.
The nests were found with the help of local farmers, who alert the project team when they find eggs in their fields – and also change when they mow to avoid harmful eggs or newly hatched chicks. . Their roles as “keepers of the curls” are considered very important to help protect these rapidly descending waders.
Curlew, copyright Glyn Sellors, from surfbirds gallery
As well as direct curlew conservation work, an important part of the Flourishing Floodplains project is understanding the relationship between the extent of species rich floodplain meadows in the Vale and curlew nesting sites. Floodplains are rare and only 1100 hectares remain in the UK. The Severn Vale may contain more than 10% of the national resource, but restoring the species-rich vegetation is considered essential to help the curlews that depend on the habitat to survive.
“There is urgent work going on across the UK to find out why curlews are doing so badly but this project could be called the “crème-de-la-crème” of curlew research work in the country thanks to the amount of resources available we put in it,” explained WWT Senior Research Officer Kane Brides.
“The work includes catching the birds and ringing them so we can see where they go in the winter, if they return to the same place to nest, and exactly where their nests are – so we can track the eggs and chicks to try and better understand why many of them do not live until they are old enough to fly.
“The information we collect will help inform national efforts to save curlews – there are huge numbers of people across the UK desperately trying to save these special birds so I hope the work we do here in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire has made a really important contribution to those efforts.
“But we couldn’t do it without the help of local farmers – the involvement of the farming community is a key feature of the curlews’ success.”
Local farmer Dave Banwell, who farms in Hasfield, Gloucestershire, said he was happy to do what he could. “Curlews are struggling, and have been for a long time, anything we can do to help them we will”.
Floodplain Meadows Partnership manager Emma Rothero said: “The Flourishing Floodplains project hopes to identify the extent and diversity of floodplains in the Vale. The data collected will help clarify exactly how many existing species rich floodplain meadows remain in the Vale and could add significantly to the national inventory for this rare habitat. FWAG, is working with farmers to deliver floodplain meadow restoration in the Vale this year and we are also looking for further restoration opportunities as part of the project’s legacy.”
Sarah Wells, FWAG Southwest’s Senior Farm Environment Advisor, said: “FWAG SouthWest is delighted that farmers are part of the team conserving curlews in the Severn and Avon vales and that their critical efforts is recognized.
“FWAG SouthWest has facilitated the ‘Severn Vale Guardians’ cluster group involving many of these farmers over the past four years, and will in future help land managers understand the ‘Natural Capital’ in their farms and how it fits into the emerging Environmental Land Management (ELM) Scheme.”
Flourishing Floodplains aims to restore threatened wetland habitats to the farmed landscape of the Severn and Avon Vale which will help to increase biodiversity, store carbon, improve soil and water quality and connect people with nature. The evidence gathered will feed into ongoing consultations on new farm support methods, and Local Nature Recovery Strategies to ensure that rare habitats and associated species, are protected and strengthened in the long term . Project partners include the Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group South West (FWAG-SW) and the Open University-led Floodplain Meadows Partnership (FMP-OU) and it is funded by the Government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund.
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