Welsh curlew conservation project awarded nearly £1m

A conservation trust has been awarded nearly £1m of government funding for a project aimed at halting the decline of curlew in Wales.

The Gwlad y Gylfinir – Land of the Curlew project from The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) Cymru will be delivered in Powys, mid-Wales.

The project to protect curlews, a bird set to become extinct as a breeding population by 2033 if current trends continue, follows on from the success of Curlew Connections Wales, which comes to an end this month.

Having declined by an average of 50% across the UK in 30 years, our remaining curlew populations have been shown to be aging out.

Curlew can live up to 20 years, and recently a bird in the New Forest was spotted and confirmed as being over 33 years old.

The UK should be a stronghold for the species, hosting up to 25% of the global wintering curlew population and Wales historically supporting large populations.

Despite their cultural heritage, breeding curlew numbers are dropping fast due to habitat loss, agricultural change and intensification, excessive predator pressure, and climate change.

Curlew are incredibly site loyal, returning to nest in the same spot every year. With very little fledging success, these long-lived birds have very few younger birds surviving to adulthood and bolstering the future of their populations.

The likely extinction of the species is a result rather too close to home, particularly in Wales where there may only be up to 500 breeding curlew left. Wales is predicted to lose its breeding curlews by 2033, unless the decline can be halted.

Curlew Connections Wales has been running for three years in Wales and has seen a team of three Curlew and People Officers working on the ground with farmers, communities, and volunteers, to protect breeding curlew across the landscape.

The project has been using cutting-edge thermal optic drones to find nests more quickly and efficiently in the GWCT’s project area of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire. Once found, nests have been surrounded by electric fencing, which offers protection from mammals and livestock, improving chick survival.

Funded by the Welsh Government and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the project has been a partnership between Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape, Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, and the GWCT Wales.

Julieanne Quinlan, Curlew Connections project manager, said: “It’s has been a fantastic example of collaborative, community-led conservation, reconnecting people with curlew and conservation efforts.

“This new funding of £921,700 will allow us to continue vital conservation work across Powys.

“The past three years have demonstrated the power of true collaboration for curlew and our rural communities. I am delighted that the lessons from Curlew Connections Wales will now inform our work across both established and new areas.

It’s incredibly exciting that GWCT will continue to deliver for curlew, advance novel research, and build on the strong foundations already in place. We are deeply grateful to the Heritage Fund for supporting this vital next chapter for curlew in Wales.”

The £921,700 grant for Gwlad y Gylfinir – Land of the Curlew comes from the Nature Networks Fund, which is providing £15m of funding for 28 projects across Wales, all aimed at restoring and improving biodiversity across land and sea.

This is the fifth round of Nature Networks grants, being delivered by the Heritage Fund on behalf of the Welsh Government. Since 2021 the programme has supported 147 projects across Wales with over £54m.

Lee Oliver, director of GWCT Wales, added: “We’re excited to continue working with local communities, landowners and partners to protect this iconic species for future generations. Thank you for being part of the journey.”

Commenting on the announcement made on 18 March, Huw Irranca-Davies, Deputy First Minister with responsibility for Climate Change, said: “This significant investment demonstrates our ongoing commitment to our international targets such as 30by30 which are increasing the scale and pace of delivery helping to protect Wales’s natural heritage.

“By supporting these projects, we’re not only preserving precious ecosystems but also empowering communities to become stewards of their local environments. The Nature Networks Fund is a crucial tool in our response to the nature emergency, helping us build a more resilient Wales for future generations.”