Nearly £1m boost to save Wales' curlew from extinction by 2033

A race against time to save curlew in Wales has been handed a major boost, with nearly £1m awarded to a conservation project as the species faces local extinction by 2033.

The Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) Cymru has secured £921,700 in government funding to support efforts to halt the sharp decline in breeding curlew, with numbers in Wales now thought to be as low as 500 pairs.

The funding will support the Gwlad y Gylfinir – Land of the Curlew project in Powys, mid-Wales, building on the work of the Curlew Connections Wales initiative, which concludes this month.

Backed by the Nature Networks Fund, part of a £15m package supporting 28 projects across Wales, the grant forms part of a wider push to restore biodiversity. Since 2021, more than £54m has been distributed to 147 projects through the scheme.

Curlew numbers have fallen by around 50% across the UK over the past 30 years, with populations increasingly made up of older birds. With few chicks surviving to adulthood, numbers are struggling to recover.

Known for its haunting call across upland landscapes, the curlew has long been a symbol of rural Wales. Yet breeding populations are under growing pressure from habitat loss, agricultural intensification, predator pressure and climate change.

The species’ strong loyalty to nesting sites further compounds the problem. Birds return to the same locations each year, but with low fledging success, there are too few young birds to sustain the population.

Over the past three years, Curlew Connections Wales has worked closely with farmers, volunteers and local communities to protect nests and improve breeding success on the ground.

Using thermal imaging drones, teams have been able to locate nests more quickly across Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire. Once identified, nests are protected with electric fencing to reduce losses to predators and livestock.

Julieanne Quinlan, project manager, said the work had been “a fantastic example of collaborative, community-led conservation”.

She added the new funding “will allow us to continue vital conservation work across Powys”, with recent efforts demonstrating “the power of true collaboration for curlew and our rural communities”.

“It’s incredibly exciting that GWCT will continue to deliver for curlew and build on the strong foundations already in place,” she said.

GWCT Wales director Lee Oliver said the organisation was “excited to continue working with local communities, landowners and partners to protect this iconic species for future generations”.

Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said the investment reflected Wales’s commitment to tackling the nature crisis.

“This significant investment demonstrates our ongoing commitment to our international targets such as 30by30,” he said, adding it would help “protect Wales’s natural heritage” while enabling communities to play a leading role in conservation.

Without sustained action, conservationists warn the curlew’s call could fall silent across Wales within a decade.