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A partnership of Gwent Wildlife Trust, the five Gwent
local authorities, the RSPB and the Game Conservancy Trust are working
together to find out more about two well known, but rapidly declining
species, the lapwing and the brown hare. These species were once common on
farmland in South East Wales, but the lapwing experienced a 77% decline
between 1987 and 1998, a trend that is still continuing, while the brown
hare has suffered an 80% decline since the 1950s.
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© Ray Armstrong |
Brown hare numbers dropped dramatically when farming
methods became more intensive following the Second World War. They prefer a
mixture of arable fields and pasture with hedges and ditches in which to
feed and shelter – countryside more closely associated with traditional
methods of farming. Hares are much bigger than rabbits and have longer ears
and golden eyes. March and April are good months to look for them because
the males can be seen ‘boxing’ or ‘courting’ females.
Lapwings are found on
a range of habitats including short grassland or spring-tilled arable land,
but they always select open habitats that provide unbroken all-round views
of approaching predators. Wet flushes, shallow ditches and small scrapes
also benefit lapwing by providing additional sources of invertebrate food.
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The shift to intensive grassland systems has been the
major cause of their decline. Although both hares and lapwings prefer to
nest in short grazed swards, stocking levels must be kept low to prevent
disturbance and trampling of young leverets and chicks. To ensure that the
farming community can take part in the survey hundreds of survey forms are
being distributed across SE Wales via local NFU offices and other farming
organisations. The partnership is keen for farmers, and as many members of
the public as possible, to get involved in the survey by sending in
sightings of these species.
Steven Rogers, the Conservation Officer of Gwent Wildlife
Trust says "This information will give us a better idea of current numbers
and distribution and will help us make the right decisions to help these
species recover". Deborah Beeson, the Biodiversity Officer at Blaenau Gwent
Council, says “It is easy to take part in the survey and the more people who
record their sightings the better the results will be”. “All you need do is
fill in a copy of the survey form, available from the Gwent Wildlife Trust,
or the Wildlife Trust’s and councils’ websites, and return it to the
Freepost address shown.”
For further information please contact Steven Rogers
Conservation Officer Gwent Wildlife Trust 01600 740358 or email
srogers@gwentwildlife.cix.co.uk
Land management advice is available for:
Brown hare: The Game Conservancy Trust Tel 01452 652381
Management leaflets: www.gct.org.uk/brownhare
Lapwing: RSPB Farmland Projects Officer Wales 01248 363800 Management
leaflets: www.rspb.org.uk/operationlapwing
Download the survey
form
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