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“Our countryside’s future rests in the hands of those who care for it every
day — without support for our farmers, nature recovery hangs in the balance.”
- Dr. Alastair Leake, Director of Policy, GWCT
Your support is vital. We’ve shown that nature recovery is possible on working farms — now we need to ensure policymakers hear about it. With science-backed methods, we’ve proven that food production and thriving wildlife can go hand in hand.
Our mission: To educate government with our science and success stories. The government’s promise to halt biodiversity loss by 2030 needs action. Without evidence-based policies at landscape scale, those promises will fall short.
We’ve been leading this effort for decades. Our Allerton Project, now in its 33rd year, has transformed the land:
- Twice as many songbirds
- 1200% more brown hares
- 13% more earthworms
- 27 new moth species, including the blue underwing
Imagine if that success was replicated across the UK.
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Why now?
Despite our progress, farmland wildlife is still in crisis — over half of UK farmland birds are declining, insects are struggling, and farmers are under pressure. But farmers want to help — they just need the right support.
“With 72% of UK land being farmland, farms are key to national wildlife recovery.
We’ve proven it’s possible — now we need your help to continue.”
— Dr Alastair Leake
We’re working to influence policy directly: shaping agri-environment schemes, preparing parliamentary questions, and briefing ministers — but we can’t do it alone.
Science in action
The Allerton Project began in 1992 when Lord and Lady Allerton gifted us the farm to prove that conservation and food production can work together. We faced a huge challenge, but through testing and refining practical solutions, we’ve created a proven model for nature recovery. Our ‘three-legged stool’ approach of habitat improvement, winter feeding and predation management now shapes success across the UK.
Other GWCT biodiversity successes include:
- In Wales, our work is helping recover species like curlew through habitat management and community collaboration.
- In Scotland, Fiona Torrance our GWCT Farmland Biodiversity Advisor, explains that since 2014 our Balgonie site has seen grey partridge numbers rise by 37% in spring and 220% in autumn.
- In Wales, Julieanne Quinlan explains that with Curlew Connections “It’s about working with farmers and landowners to protect what they care about.”
You can help make a difference
These projects have proved what works — now we need your help to bring this evidence to those in power.
Will you donate today?
- £25 helps translate research into clear reports for policymakers
- £100 supports public engagement with farmers and the public
- £250 funds vital fieldwork that shapes policy
Even £25 can help ensure nature recovery is not just a possibility, but a reality.
Thank you for standing with us. Your donation isn’t just support — it’s a lifeline for nature and a gift for future generations.
* Curlew Connections Wales is in partnership with Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape and Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.