A 1.25 MILLION Euro EU Life+-funded project will help farmers in the Avon Valley between Salisbury and Christchurch reverse the fortunes of the much revered lapwing, which has suffered a dramatic decline over the past 20 years.

The species is red-listed as a bird of conservation concern and conservationists believe that as well as habitat loss, predation by foxes and crows is a major factor limiting lapwing recovery.

In the 1980s, the valley was one of the top eight lowland wet grassland sites for breeding waders in the UK. However, populations of lapwing have fallen from 260 breeding pairs in the 1980s to about 90 last year. The key aim of the four-year Waders for Real project is to increase the breeding success of lapwings and redshank, so that numbers of breeding pairs start to increase.

Currently, breeding wader populations are only maintained on nature reserves.

This project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of restoring wader populations in the countryside by implementing a combination of habitat improvements and measures to reduce nest and chick predation.

Dr Andrew Hoodless, head of Wetland Research with the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), has been monitoring the plight of waders in the Valley. He said: “In common with other wetland areas, the numbers of breeding waders in the Avon Valley has declined dramatically since the early 1980s.

“Monitoring has recorded lapwing declines of 64 per cent, redshank of 75 per cent and snipe of 97 per cent.”

Monitoring of lapwing nests indicates that, in the Avon Valley, 61 per cent of nesting attempts fail and that 82 per cent of nest failure is caused by predation.

Dr Hoodless said: “Lapwing productivity here has averaged just 0.41 fledged young per pair. This is well below the 0.70 fledged young per pair needed to maintain a stable population.”

Initially, the GWCT and the HIWWT will be working with farmers to create four “hot spot” areas for re-colonisation and will provide advice to farmers within the Avon Valley. Within these “hot spot” areas, farmers will implement habitat management to improve brood rearing areas, but also to minimise predator access.

Monitoring of predator numbers will help identify habitat manipulation on a site specific basis and non-lethal measures, such as nest cages to protect eggs, will be deployed.

Dr Hoodless said: “We need to work more closely with farmers to come up with practical and effective solutions for farmland outside of nature reserves.

“Guidance that can be tailored to individual circumstances as well as the commitment of farmers to reversing declines, will be crucial to securing the future of these wonderful birds.”