The RSPB has urged farmers to help protect farmland birds, whose populations have plummeted across the UK in recent years. The charity today asked more farmers to sign up to its Wader Friendly Farming scheme on the back of successes in Scotland.

The project so far has seen over 2,000 hectares of farmland in the Clyde Valley being managed to benefit lapwing, redshank, curlew and snipe. The upper Clyde project has brought together RSPB Scotland, NFU Scotland, the Scottish Agricultural College and individual farmers to protect the threatened birds.

image expired

It aims to improve the status of breeding wading birds across the country, through conservation management of the birds’ farmland habitats. Some of the WFFI work is being supported by Rural Priorities funding, with other measures involving low-cost management techniques on a voluntary basis, which ensure the viability of farming businesses. So far, 38 individual farms have signed up to the initiative.

Although the scheme is encountering success in the Clyde Valley, numbers of species including lapwing, curlew and oystercatcher, a characteristic feature of much of Scotland’s agricultural countryside, have dropped significantly according to official monitoring figures.

The RSPB is operating similar projects throughout Scotland in Strathspey, Caithness and Grampian, with more due for other parts of Scotland that are home to important wading bird populations.

Duncan Orr-Ewing, Head of Species and Land Management at RSPB Scotland, commented on the Wader Friendly Farming Initiative, “With the breeding season almost upon us, this is an ideal time to start thinking about the simple and effective ways we can help wading birds boost their populations. Farmers are the key group that can help improve the prospects of these species, often with little to no cost to their normal operations. Measures that create the right kind of breeding habitats, and protect the nests and young of wading birds, are small steps that can make a big difference. We welcome the efforts of local SAC staff, farmers in Lanarkshire and other parts of Scotland who are joining with us in this work to save Scotland’s wading birds.”

NFU Scotland President, Nigel Miller, welcomed the scheme’s successes, "Waders are part of our heritage and provide a pleasant distraction from chores such as cultivation and sowing for those working on many farms. The activity in the Clyde Valley and around the country shows that many farmers are already taking positive action to protect these popular birds. Working together with the RSPB, we can outline to all farmers the simple management changes that can support and increase wader numbers on farm to produce substantial wildlife benefit from small changes to farming practices."

Tweet