Marsh harriers were nearly extinct in the UK in the 1970s. Their recovery is a conservation triumph, but ongoing welfare challenges from persecution and habitat loss remain.
Marsh harrier welfare success is one of the UK's greatest conservation stories, driven primarily by the banning of organochlorine pesticides and legal protection. However, illegal persecution remains a persistent welfare threat. Shooting and poisoning incidents continue to be documented near some game estates. The welfare of individual harriers nesting in cereal crops is precarious - harvest machinery can destroy nests, and these birds depend on farmers agreeing to leave nest areas unharvested. Partnership with landowners is a critical welfare tool.