PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The UK is the second most important country in Europe for breeding Eurasian curlew Numenius arquata, after Finland, hosting approximately 59 000 pairs (40% of the EU population and up to 27% of the global population). However, since the mid-1990s, the UK breeding population of curlew has declined by about 48%. The UK government has identified curlew as a priority species in its 25-Year Environment Plan and has an international responsibility for curlew under the AfricanEurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) and the EU Action Plan for Grassland Waders. Action is required to halt the decline of the species and to avoid the curlew becoming extinct in Northern Ireland and Wales in particular, and to prevent continued rapid decline elsewhere. Agricultural improvement of grassland, increased use of machinery causing soil compaction, high livestock stocking rates, conifer afforestation, predation and abandonment of marginal farmland have led to changes to, and reduction of, suitable habitat as well as loss of nests and chicks. Underlying these issues are wider economic and political drivers. Uncertainty over future financial support for agriculture is particularly challenging for upland farmers, who often have low incomes and rely on support payments. If profitability declines further, farmers may choose either to abandon their farms or to intensify both of which are disastrous outcomes for curlew.
OBJECTIVES
The LIFE curlew UK project aims to halt the decline of curlew in five priority landscapes across the UK, and to define and catalyse the future action needed to maintain viable populations of curlew within these landscapes.
Specifically, the project aims to:
Enhance conditions for breeding curlew using best-practice conservation methods in the selected landscapes, to halt curlew population declines;Evaluate responses to this work through monitoring of habitat condition, predator abundance, curlew abundance and breeding success;Develop post-project plans to maintain viable populations in the selected landscapes and halt the decline of curlew elsewhere across the UK;Increase understanding of the importance of curlew breeding in the UK, and of ways to help them, among local communities and visitors in the priority landscapes and more widely;Create and strengthen networks toshare best-practice approaches to curlew conservation across the UK and EU, and encourage and enable government bodies in the four countries of the UK to take large-scale, long-term conservation action for this species.
The project contributes to delivering the goals of the EU Biodiversity 2020 Strategy (Targets 1, 2 and 3) by developing and demonstrating approaches to protect species and habitats, restore ecosystems, and achieve more sustainable agriculture and forestry. The Eurasian curlew is listed in Annex II of the Birds Directive. The project also contributes to Common Agricultural Policy priorities on ecosystems, by showing that curlew habitats can be managed positively under agri-environment agreements. The project implements the UKs 25-Year Environment Plan in relation to curlew, as well as the AfricanEurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA) and the EU Multi-species Action Plan for Grassland Waders.
RESULTS
Expected results:
Around 3 552 ha of habitat enhanced for curlew across the project sites (via practical action and advice);Predator control across 14 634 ha to reduce predators to a level that allows increased curlew breeding (to at least known stability rate of 0.5 chicks/year);Changes in habitat condition, predator abundance, and curlew populations and productivity monitored across 5 000 ha, with at least one volunteer team per country trained to support monitoring; Specific After-LIFE Plans completed for each of the five priority landscapes;A broader Species Action Plan for curlew developed for the whole of the UK, in collaboration with Defra and others;At least 5 000 people engaged directly across all sites, through talks, guided walks, film screenings and demonstration events; At least 500 000 people reached at national level, through the project website, traditional media and digital/social media platforms;At least 4 volunteer-led curlew land management advisory services established (one per country) and local Curlew Champions recruited to support local engagement and national advocacy;Engagement with local networks of farmers and other land managers in each priority landscape;Annual meetings with key members at each site, and active participation in national curlew forums and other networking events at UK and EU level;Costed and evidence-based case studies of successful interventions created, and used to underpin advocacy for curlew at local and national levels;Curlew conservation outcomes included in key policy instruments (or, at least, clear commitments obtained from policy-makers in this regard); andForest sensitivity maps produced, and decisions about tree-planting in the priority landscapes demonstrably influenced by these maps.
