The RSPB, Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) and Natural England have revealed a brand new motion plan of their remaining 12 months of collaboration on Project Godwit.
To assist safe the way forward for UK’s breeding Black-tailed Godwits, the motion plan units out the important thing conservation priorities to save lots of the species from a second extinction.
These priorities embrace really useful actions to take care of and enhance current key breeding websites, enhance the extent of lowland moist grassland within the fens and additional perceive and act on the pressures godwits face from predation.
Black-tailed Godwit wants further safety whether it is to keep away from a second extinction as a breeding species in the UK.
Some of those actions are already underway, serving to conservationists to take care of the UK’s current godwit populations and return this endangered chook to former breeding areas, securing its long-term future.
Mike Shurmer, head of species for England on the RSPB stated: “Project Godwit has proven nice success in boosting the UK’s breeding inhabitants and shopping for us time to save lots of them, however the stress on the species from habitat loss, predation and local weather change implies that with out additional assist the species is heading for decline.
“If present developments proceed, our analysis means that the breeding inhabitants of Black-tailed Godwit in England will fall from a predicted 60 pairs in 2025 to lower than 40 pairs by 2033.”
Eric Heath, senior venture supervisor of species restoration at WWT, stated: “Creating and restoring the wholesome wetland habitat these birds depend on for breeding and elevating their young is crucial consider saving the species in the long run.
“Creating these thriving pure landscapes will even present enormous boosts to different wildlife, seize carbon and supply individuals higher access to nature. If we safe funding for this motion plan and may perform this work we’d goal to see 80 pairs of godwits throughout a minimum of 4 wetland websites by 2033.”
Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England, stated: “The Black-tailed Godwit is among the UK’s most distinctive and putting wading birds, its fortunes have been combined and it’s clear that we now want formidable motion to assist the way forward for this valuable species.
“Natural England is proud to be supporting this complete motion plan which outlines the enhancements to habitats wanted to make sure that this iconic chook can as soon as once more thrive.”
The current seven-year Project Godwit programme, which raised endangered Black-tailed Godwit chicks in captivity by way of a way often known as headstarting, and improved their breeding grounds on the Nene and Ouse Washes, has boosted the breeding inhabitants of 1 the UK’s rarest breeding wading birds by 40%.
As nicely as headstarting godwit chicks, the venture has enhanced moist grassland habitat to offer the best situations for the waders to breed and used fencing to guard nests from predation.
The venture has additionally examined the threats the birds face, following the fortunes of individually marked godwits as they journey between England and west Africa and trialled conservation methods to extend the survival of eggs and chicks.
However, the species’ breeding success within the wild stays too low to assist a steady inhabitants, and like many different wading birds they face pressures from lack of habitat, unfavourable land administration, unsustainable predation charges and the impacts of local weather change.
Historically, numbers of breeding Black-tailed Godwit within the UK declined drastically at the start of the nineteenth century, to the purpose the place they turned extinct as breeding birds. This was in all probability because of the draining of pure wetlands and looking.
Continued work on the species following the suggestions of this motion plan by the newly shaped UK Black-tailed Godwit Working Group, which incorporates RSPB, WWT and Natural England, shall be vital to seeing them survive as a UK breeding species.
