The Countryside Restoration Trust (CRT) is calling for greater support for wildlife-friendly farming practices to help reduce the number of birds on the UK Red List. This is in response to the Birds of Conservation Concern report published today, which shows that the status of UK bird populations continues to decline.

Danielle Dewe, Chief Executive of the CRT, said: “Changing the way that we farm will help reduce the number of birds on the UK Red List and increase the populations of some of Britain's most iconic birds. For almost 30 years, the Countryside Restoration Trust (CRT) has shown that wildlife-friendly farming can have a positive impact on biodiversity. At the CRT’s Lark Rise Farm in Cambridgeshire, our wildlife monitors have recorded a four-fold increase in grey partridges over the past 20 years, and we have also seen the return of lapwings to its fields. Actions like increasing the farm’s network of hedgerows, planting grass margins around the edges of fields and retaining over-wintered stubble, all help to encourage declining birds back onto the farm. Taking positive steps like this across the country will help reverse the decline in our bird populations on a national scale.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors

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