Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority to endorse refreshed action plan for Curlew recovery in Wales

BANNAU Brycheiniog National Park Authority (NPA) members will be asked to endorse a refreshed action plan for the recovery of the Curlew in Wales.
The 10-year plan was established in 2021 and has been refreshed following a review of the plan’s implementation and to take on board the lessons learned so far.
The proposal will come before a meeting of BBNPA on Friday, October 9, as the authority is a key partner in Curlew recovery efforts in Wales.
BBNPA ecologist Nicola Davies said: “BBNPA has been asked to endorse the plan along with all other Gylfinir Cymru members before October 31, prior to it being officially launched.
“The plan refresh is an important advocacy opportunity, to seek cross-party support in the enlarged Senedd and endorsement by the new Welsh Government.
“If endorsed, this will further demonstrate that BBNPA can deliver large-scale multiple benefits to both species recovery and landscape-scale change.”
Ms Davies continued: “The main plan remains largely unchanged although a refresh was needed to reflect upon more guidance being available regarding the Sustainable Farming Scheme, as well as learning from recent lessons, and moving towards the introduction of headstarting in Wales.”
Headstarting is the term used for a conservation technique based on collecting the curlew eggs, hatching and rearing the chicks in captivity to protect them from early-stage predators and agricultural hazards.
Once they can fly, they are released back into the wild.
The report explains that BBNPA has been a member of Gylfinir Cymru (Curlew Wales) since 2021.
In 2023, BBNPA joined forces with GWCT (Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust) and the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape to successfully deliver Curlew Connections Wales.
This was a Curlew recovery programme under the guidance of Gylfinir Cymru and funded under the Nature Networks two programme.
Earlier this year, BBNPA was successful in its bid to the Nature Networks five programme, administered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, to work in partnership with the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape to build upon the work already done under Curlew Connections.
Ms Davies said: “This high-profile, three-year project is working towards Curlew recovery on a landscape scale.
“It is the first successful species-focused project that the national park has delivered in several years.”
The Eurasian Curlew is one of the highest bird conservation priorities in Wales, and its rapid and ongoing decline means it is now threatened with extinction as a Welsh breeding bird in the next two decades. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

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By BBC LDRS ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​