The Countryside Code provides guidance for responsible countryside access, and following its principles significantly reduces wildlife welfare harm from recreation and tourism.
Responsible countryside access significantly reduces direct and indirect welfare harm to wildlife. Dogs off leads are the most significant single source of wildlife disturbance, particularly during breeding season when ground-nesting birds and mammals are most vulnerable. A brief flushing incident during incubation can cause nest failure for species like curlew and lapwing that take weeks to re-lay. Livestock welfare is also affected by dogs that cause stampeding, abortion in pregnant animals, and lamb crushing. The Countryside Code provides simple guidance that, if widely followed, would substantially reduce the wildlife welfare harm caused by the millions of countryside visits made annually in the UK.