Lapwing Farmland Conservation - Advanced

Advanced conservation management for lapwing on arable and pastoral farmland, including targeted agri-environment options.

Key Facts

UK lapwing population has declined 60% since the 1970s primarily due to agricultural intensification
Lapwing breed in short vegetation with good visibility for predator detection, primarily wet grassland
Clutch success averages below 15% on intensively managed farmland without targeted interventions
Agri-environment scheme uptake covering lapwing requirements has increased breeding success by 40-60% on participating farms
Predator management alongside habitat management significantly improves chick survival rates

Welfare Considerations

Farmland lapwing welfare encompasses both individual animal experience and population-level conservation. Birds failing to breed experience the welfare cost of repeated nest failure, while successful chicks face high mortality from predation and agricultural operations. Addressing lapwing welfare at scale requires landscape-level coordination of agri-environment measures, not just individual farm actions.

What You Can Do

Apply for Higher Level Stewardship or Countryside Stewardship options targeting lapwing habitat
Create shallow scrapes and wet features to provide lapwing foraging and breeding habitat
Delay mowing of grassland until after lapwing chick fledging in late July
Participate in RSPB's Lapwing Recovery Project or regional lapwing conservation networks
Record lapwing nesting attempts and chick sightings to contribute to monitoring data