The Conservation of the Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix) on Farmland in Southern England

Abstract

The grey partridge Perdix perdix was once a common breeding bird in Britain but has declined by over 90% over the last 50 years.  Beginning in 1968, the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has investigated the causes of this decline in Britain and identified three main factors involved in it.  These are the loss of nesting habitat, loss of insect-rich brood-rearing habitat and increased predation during the breeding season.  The conservation of a once widespread species of farmed land such as the grey partridge requires bottom-up intervention, so remedial measures need to be appropriate for farmers and their advisors.  Therefore, such solutions needed to be costed, ideally supported by subsidy (agri-environmental schemes), pragmatic and simple.  This has resulted in a GWCT grey partridge management package based on scientifically proven recommendations.  We now need to persuade farmers and land managers to adopt the management package nationally and reverse the decline of this species.  An important factor in achieving adoption is attracting subsidy support for the management options and providing demonstration sites where visiting farmers can see how appropriate and practical management leads to successful recovery of grey partridges.  For example, at a landowner-led demonstration site in West Sussex, southern England, partridges went from near extinction to densities providing enough birds in autumn to reinstate a wild grey partridge shoot.  The detailed results are reported here and offer hope for more widespread recovery of the species across the UK.