It's been a very busy year here at the GWCT. Here are the top 20 news stories of 2019!
Some songbird nests are especially vulnerable to magpie predation - new study suggests
A NEW study has revealed a range of factors that cause a variation in predation by magpies on farmland songbirds.
Proposed change to General Licence could have devastating effect on wild birds
MAJOR rural organisations have joined forces to warn Natural Resources Wales (NRW) of the catastrophic consequences that a proposed change to the General Licence could have on wild birds.
BUSHCRAFT expert Ray Mears has pledged his support to the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) campaign that aims to improve awareness and understanding of how the countryside works.
GWCT statement on Langholm Moor Demonstration Project final report
The final report of the Langholm Moor Demonstration Project (2008 – 2017) has now been published and is available to download online.
THE GWCT Shoot Operator’s Test has been designed for shoot managers across the country to demonstrate that they are up-to-speed with best practice and the key issues in shoot management.
Shoots urged to pay more attention to release pen locations, says new GWCT study
ADVISORS from GWCT are urging shoots to pay more attention to release pen locations and limit pheasant releasing density to reduce negative impacts on woodland flora.
New study shines light on fox control
A GROUND-BREAKING new study has shone a light on the real impact of fox control.
New study reveals huge decline in bird species when grouse management ends
ENDING grouse moor management risks declines - and possible local extinctions - of a range of ground-nesting bird species, a new study has revealed.
Experts advise caution after poor partridge breeding season
THE Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) is warning shoots to be ultra-cautious about shooting wild grey partridges this season.
Leading organisations respond to Defra’s new general licences
GENUINE progress has been made and three new general licences released by Defra today are fit for purpose in most circumstances. However, significant work still remains regarding protected sites, the leading countryside organisations have said.
Conservation champions who save wildlife lauded by TV presenter in new book
AN inspirational set of working conservationists across the UK who have demonstrated high levels of success in increasing wildlife on their land are celebrated in a new GWCT publication.
Scientists team up to study the spread and impacts of invasive pink salmon
AS it is anticipated that pink salmon will appear in UK rivers in large numbers this year, ecologists across the UK are teaming up to explore the presence of invasive pink salmon and their potential impacts.
Rallying cry to rural enthusiasts affected by the change in General Licences to complete GWCT survey
THE Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has launched a rallying cry for the rural community affected by the change in General Licences to complete its new survey.
The Big Farmland Bird Count is back, back, back!
NATURE lovers across the country are being urged to take part in the Big Farmland Bird Count (BFBC), which is back for the sixth successive year.
GWCT’s plea to save much-loved wading birds
AN ambitious tracking project that will monitor the whereabouts of three red-listed birds is being launched by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT).
Science has vital part to play in proposed Scottish bill and consultation on mountain hare management
The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) in Scotland has stressed that evidence must have a vital part to play in the consultation on Green MSP Alison Johnstone’s proposed bill that, among other measures, is seeking a ban on the control of mountain hares.
Time to train for new tunnel traps, says predation expert
JONATHAN Reynolds reminded a packed audience of land managers at the second GWCT Game conference that there was only one year left before the use of Fenn traps for stoats becomes ILLEGAL in the UK.
Results from shoot benchmarking survey unveiled
THE results for the ninth Savills and Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) game and conservation benchmarking survey for the 2018/19 shooting season demonstrate the significant amount of environmental management work already undertaken by shoots.
NGO and SGA urge gamekeepers to be loud and proud in new survey
THE National Gamekeepers’ Organisation (NGO) and the Scottish Gamekeepers Association (SGA) are joining forces to undertake an ambitious nationwide survey that will shine a light on the work of the gamekeeping community.
New book sheds light on hedges, ditches and grass margins
The Ecology of Hedgerows and Field Margins, edited by Professor John Dover who worked on farmland butterflies at the Trust in the 1980s, sheds new light on the network of hedges, ditches and grass margins that form an integral part of the landscape across most of lowland Britain.