2025

It is important, now more than ever, that land managers are able to demonstrate to policy makers and the public the conservation value of the management activities that preserve our rare habitats.

There’s a lot of talk about the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme. The SFI has not ended. Because the scheme was so good farmers have piled into it enthusiastically and all the money is now committed.

The GWCT runs a Shoot Biodiversity Assessment service to help farms, estates and game managers highlight where wildlife is benefiting from the shoot, identify any areas where there may be potential negative impacts, and work to improve them without affecting the running of the shoot.

Farmers are not expecting free handouts, they are able and willing to play a central role in restoring nature for fair reward and it’s critical that Government keeps them on board for the benefit of all.

More than 250 people from across the northern hemisphere gathered in London recently to call for urgent action to conserve, protect and restore the world’s wild salmon. Speakers from across the world delivered fascinating and insightful talks on a wide range of issues affecting both wild Atlantic and Pacific salmon and the people who depend on these species.

For any fire to start and spread it needs fuel, oxygen and an ignition source.  But when it comes to wildfires at a landscape scale there are additional factors such as the fire environment (weather, topography and fuel) and the fire regime (landform, climate and vegetation).

The GWCT Advisory Services in Scotland offer Muirburn Planning Services to assist estates in obtaining the right muirburn licences. We have developed spatial datasets over several years through collaboration with estates. These datasets operate at a much finer scale than NatureScot’s Peatland Map and take into account other environmental factors important for planning muirburn.

On International Women’s Day 2025, we celebrate the women shaping conservation science and bringing their dedication and passion to the GWCT.

Gamekeepers, estate managers, land agents and shooting organisations from across the North of England and Scotland gathered for this year’s Upland Game Conference in Barnard Castle, Co. Durham, to hear from a wide range of speakers including scientists specialising in upland research, policy experts and advisors on moorland management techniques.

It is well known that grey partridges have ‘decided’ that a monogamous relationship suits them best; but could they be even one of those unusual birds where partners are faithful to each other?