GCT urges immediate action to save the grey partridge
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Monday, 30, Jul 2007 12:00
Back from the brink
Trust urges immediate action to save the grey partridge and launches a five point plan
This has been the wettest summer since detailed records began in 1914. This bodes particularly badly for the wild grey partridge, which has already suffered a massive 86% decline in the past 30 years and is on the brink of extinction in many areas of the country.
"The wet summer has been a total wash-out for young partridge chicks struggling for survival and urgent conservation action needs to be taken by all those with a responsibility for managing the British countryside," warns Dr Nick Sotherton, head of research with the Trust.
Many factors have contributed to the decline of grey partridges such as the introduction of herbicides and pesticides into modern farming (causing the loss of important chick food) and also the loss of suitable habitat for brood-rearing and nesting.
A rise in the number of predators such as foxes, rats, stoats, magpies and crows, are also a major factor behind the decline of grey partridges, especially as the number of gamekeepers providing protection has halved over the past 30 years. Many of the Trust's studies have revealed the importance of predator control and in a six-year experiment on Salisbury Plain, the Trust's research showed that predator control increased grey partridge breeding stock in spring by 35% each year and resulted in an increased number of birds in August by 75% each year.
Dr Sotherton explains, "Without the right sort of habitat, partridges and their young have nowhere to hide and are therefore extremely vulnerable to predation. Many predators are opportunistic, and as a result an entire family can be knocked out in one go. However, predator control needs to be selective and only carried out when necessary."
In Edwardian times there were more than a million grey partridges roaming the British countryside, by the early 1990s this had dropped to 145,000 grey partridges, and today estimates suggest that this figure has halved again. However, the Trust, as lead partner in the Government's Biodiversity Action Plan for the grey partridge has devised a five-point plan for saving this once familiar farmland bird. "It's not difficult," explains Nick Sotherton, "Indeed, many small things added together will make a huge difference and we urge all those with an interest in saving this magnificent bird to implement our five-point plan. We have the science; we just need to turn this science into action."
The Trust's five point plan to save the grey includes:
1. HABITAT: Create suitable habitat - partridges need both nesting cover and brood-rearing cover for food and shelter. Farmers and land managers can benefit financially under the Government's Entry Level Scheme (ELS) and Higher Level Scheme for creating habitats for grey partridge and other farmland birds.
2. PREDATION: Carry out predator control. Grey partridges are ground-nesting birds and are therefore more susceptible to a greater range of predators. Predation causes the largest losses when hens are nesting.
3. WINTER FOOD: Provide additional winter food during the leanest months of winter by placing feeders at strategic points.
4. KEEP COUNTING: Join The Game Conservancy Trust's Grey Partridge Count Scheme. This is the largest farmer-led monitoring scheme in Europe and it is showing a 40% increase in partridge numbers on land managed by farmers who have adopted the Trust's recommendations.
5. BE SELECTIVE WITH SPRAYS: The Trust's 30-year research into the impact of insecticides shows that they are particularly harmful to farmland bird chicks as they are dependent on a variety of insects when they first hatch. To help farmland bird chicks the Trust advises that the use of these insecticides, especially organophosphates should be reduced to benefit farmland birds.
But it's not all bad news for the grey partridge as Nick Sotherton explains, "We now have more than 1,000 people counting partridges across the country. In addition, they are making an astonishing recovery on our Grey Partridge Recovery Project on farmland near Royston in Hertfordshire. Since the introduction of habitat management, predator control and feeding, there has been an extraordinary six-fold increase in grey partridges. But a lot more needs to be done to reverse the national decline. We hope this message today will act as the catalyst that will inspire more people to get involved in saving this delightful gamebird."
To obtain copies of The Game Conservancy Trust's free 'fact sheets' outlining how to restore wild grey partridges, please contact, Louise Shervington, The Game Conservancy Trust, Telephone 01425 651002 or email: lshervington@gct.org.uk
The Game Conservancy Trust is an independent wildlife conservation charity which carries out scientific research into Britain's game and wildlife. We advise farmers and landowners on improving wildlife habitats and we lobby for agricultural and conservation policies based on science. We employ 14 post-doctoral scientists and 50 other research staff with expertise in areas such as birds, insects, mammals, farming and statistics. We undertake our own research as well as projects funded by contract and grant-aid from Government and private bodies. The Trust is also responsible for a number of Government Biodiversity Action Plan species and is lead partner for grey partridge and joint lead partner for brown hare and black grouse.