Targeted action to help waders

Many of Britain’s best-loved wading birds are benefiting from intensive conservation efforts, according to a review.

Breeding waders, such as the curlew, lapwing and oystercatcher, deliver some of the most typical sights and sounds of the countryside, but are in long-term decline, with loss or deterioration of breeding habitat and increasing pressure from predators driving population declines.

However, a review led by Dr Samantha Franks, of the British Trust for Ornithology, has revealed that many existing conservation actions are working to good effect – showing which policies are most successful.

Schemes that combine a suite of targeted actions were found to be most effective at improving numbers, but overall populations are still declining, suggesting that while we know what action is needed, we need more of it. Samantha Herbert