Curlews have undergone the most rapid population decline of any bird in Britain and are now considered a conservation emergency. Their welfare and survival depend on immediate coordinated action across upland and lowland habitats.
Curlew welfare is in crisis. Nesting birds experience repeated nest failures that represent failed breeding attempts without compensating breeding success elsewhere. Chicks that do hatch face intensive predation pressure. Adults living in declining populations experience the ecological consequences of low population density including reduced mate choice and altered behaviour. The urgency of curlew conservation reflects both the conservation emergency and the welfare of individual birds living in landscapes where survival and reproduction are increasingly compromised by multiple simultaneous threats.