By Andrew Gilruth, GWCT Communications Director
Press debate
Imminent extinctions were being reported in the press headlines after the publication of the 86-page State of Nature 2016 report. The people that feed our growing population, farmers, were presented as the villain. The 36,000-word document mentions the impact of predation five times:
1. Wader birds – by foxes and crows when coniferous woods are planted (p26)
2. Water voles – by mink (p38)
3. Ladybirds – by harlequin ladybirds (p43)
4. Sea birds – by rats (p48)
5. Caribbean wildlife – by cats, rats and pigs (p62)
The report also includes:
a) What has caused the declines – which translates to ‘who to blame’, while avoiding conservationists being asked any tricky questions (p12)
b) The authors would like more taxpayers’ money (who would not) – yet offers little detail about what should be done differently to avoid getting the same result next time (p14)
Sadly, this was a missed opportunity. Causes of decline and factors limiting recovery are not always the same. There is no mention of the first big piece of research into the impact of generalist predators on ground-nesting birds in 1998, nor any of the other more recent studies undertaken by the GWCT.
Had they done so, they would have known that predator control can help reverse the declines of some threatened species. At least The Times was kind enough to publish our letter on this point.
Westminster debate
The next day, predator control was discussed at the Game & Wildlife APPG at Westminster (more here). The RSPB’s Martin Harper explained that “there is strong evidence that ground-nesting birds, such as waders and gamebirds, can be affected at a population level by predation”, which is why they undertake predator control at 28 RSPB reserves (focusing on foxes and crows), with 14 reserves having predator fences. As a result, the RSPB has “been able to get productivity levels up to some very high levels”.
The committee chair, Sir Nicholas Soames MP, pointed out that, since the panel (which included the GWCT’s Andrew Hoodless and the conservationist Mary Colwell) were all in agreement, “it is going to require new thinking” because “this [low productivity caused by predation] is simply not something we can just allow”. Several MPs expressed frustration at those organisations that understand the science and quietly undertake predator control but are a bit embarrassed to admit it.
Owen Paterson MP pointed out that, while we don’t yet know what’s going to happen in a post-Brexit world, we should be prepared to ensure future agri-environment schemes also include measures that protect threatened species from predators.
In Scotland this has already started. The Scottish Rural Development Programme (SRDP) includes a predator control option that benefits ground-nesting birds such as black grouse and waders, which are vulnerable to predation, by legally controlling crows, foxes, stoats and weasels.
Next steps
The Trust’s long-standing research puts us in a position of great strength. We now know more than we have ever known about managing our countryside for conservation. Years of research give us a great understanding of what does and does not work in the real world, and we will be pushing for that to be included in any post-Brexit conservation measures. You can support this new policy work here.