A PROJECT conserving a rare breed of bird has been crowned first runner-up in the MoD Sanctuary Awards 2019.

Following an increase in the number of stone-curlews across the region, representatives from the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, Defence Science Technologies Laboratory (DSTL), Landmarc, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) were invited to receive the Environmental Projects award at the annual ceremony in London last month.

According to RSPB there was a population of only 30 pairs of stone-curlews across Wessex in the 1980s, and thanks to the latest conservation work this has increased to around 140 pairs.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been working with RSPB to conserve stone-curlews across Salisbury Plain and Porton Down, which are birds that nest on the ground in the summer months.

These sites are both Special Protection Areas for the species.

As a result, conservationists have been busy providing suitable safe nesting areas for the birds, as well as protecting eggs and chicks during farm operations.

Wiltshire Council has also been involved - funding stone-curlew survey work to assess whether developments around Salisbury Plain might have an impact on the birds.

RSPB regional director, Nick Bruce-White, said: “It’s great to see such an effective example of organisations and individuals working together to achieve such positive results for wildlife.

“After a long and successful partnership, and a run of productive breeding seasons, we hope to see further stone-curlew population increases in Wessex over the next few years.”

The award received by the Wessex collaboration recognises innovative and successful conservation projects that benefit the MoD estate.

Julia Powell, chairman of judges, said: “The judges were impressed with the longevity of the team’s dedication as well as the close collaboration between several different stakeholders.”