Wildlife

Wild Wading Bird Wetland Restoration

Wading birds including lapwing, curlew, and redshank have declined severely in the UK due to loss of wet grassland habitat, with restoration programmes showing significant welfare and conservation benefits.

Key Facts

UK curlew populations have declined by over 65% since 1970
Lapwing numbers have fallen by 60% on farmland over the same period
Wet grassland with shallow flooding provides ideal feeding habitat for wading birds
Successful RSPB reserves demonstrate that managed grassland can recover populations
Predator management is often required alongside habitat restoration for breeding success

Welfare Considerations

Wading birds that cannot find suitable wet grassland habitat experience chronic nutritional stress and reproductive failure. Curlews that cannot breed after long-distance migration have wasted enormous energy in a journey that yields no reproductive benefit. Restoration of wet grassland reduces these individual welfare costs by providing the habitat conditions required for successful foraging and breeding.

What You Can Do

Support the RSPB, WWT, and Wildlife Trusts in wetland restoration efforts
Advocate for agri-environment schemes that pay farmers for wet grassland management
Participate in wading bird monitoring surveys to support conservation evidence
Reduce water abstraction from rivers and wetlands by supporting catchment reform
Donate to targeted curlew recovery programmes in upland and lowland UK