Latest News

The start of the national annual census of farmland birds – The Big Farmland Bird Count – begins in a week’s time and this year it is running on a new digital platform. 

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) is delighted to announce the expansion of its ambassadorial programme with the appointment of a new ambassador – Chelsea King.

Following on from the success of the 2025 Pie and Pint nights designed for upland land managers, GWCT Scotland Advisory is offering another series of free evening events in February 2026, focused on lowland game management.

Sheep grazing on moorland emit lower levels of both methane and carbon dioxide compared to those foraging on grassland lower down in the valley, a study carried out in the Yorkshire Dales National Park has shown.

Nominations have officially opened for this year’s Schöffel Countryside Awards which return following the success of last year’s inaugural event.

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) is very pleased to announce that Jeremy Finnis DL has been selected as chairman-elect of GWCT. Jeremy will take over from our current chairman, Sir Jim Paice, when he steps down in July 2026.

The national annual census of farmland birds, run by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) and supported by the NFU, is returning in February next year when it will be launched from its birthplace, the Trust’s demonstration farm, the Allerton Project. 

Tests have been carried out to establish the levels of methane being emitted by sheep living off a natural forage diet in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. The Forage for CH4nge project – funded by Innovate UK – is bringing together farmers and scientists to better understand how traditional breeds and different pastures can help reduce the environmental impact of sheep farming.

New research suggests badgers are one of the main threats to the survival of red-listed ground-nesting birds including lapwing and curlew, and that the risk of nests being predated increased during cold or dry weather when their stable diet of earthworms is less accessible.