Living Uplands has repeatedly focused on the value of long-term data collation, inspired by the experience of the recovery of historic Black Grouse leks in Weardale. An earlier news item outlines the story.
Having long term data enables better management decisions, a greater understanding of habitat and environment and an early warning if data shows something unexpected or a break in an established trend.
Data allows planning to be based on clear objectives, with an ability to measure success and tweak or alter interventions if they are not delivering anticipated results.
Success of this project has inspired others, and recovery has been strong enough to enable moving birds elsewhere, with great success:
Conservation is not a short-term endeavour. It takes planning, dedication and patience.
Which makes DEFRA’s approach to the recovery of the Hen Harrier population in England appear short-sighted. Although the reasons why the Hen Harrier Brood Management Trial in the North of England showed considerable success and worth reviewing, what is not contested is that in the Trial areas there has been significant increase in the number of successful nests 2018-2023: the weather in 2024 made a poor season for all ground nesting birds.
What can be stated confidently is that the nudge effect of the Brood Management Trial increased focus on the breeding success of the birds and landowners may have been more acutely aware of actively protecting the nests through targeted predator control rather than leaving the nests to the mercy of nature.
The Trial in the North of England was one of two projects supported by DEFRA, the other one in the South of England though the publicly funded Hen Harrier Southern Reintroduction project
It has recently been announced that the South of England project is ending because it has fundamentally failed to achieve its objective.
Easy to understand why a failing project would not be provided further funding. Harder to understand why Natural England would stop licensing brood management, which cost nothing and showed a beneficial impact on Hen Harrier populations, effectively mothballing of a project that was showing promise after just five years of success.
The work in recovering the Black Grouse population in Weardale has taken decades. Had the landowner decided ‘enough ‘after five years the broader conservation goals possible today would never have been achievable.
Long term engagement in conservation and enabling landowners to use the skills and knowledge of those who have lived and worked on the land for generations makes sense. Time and again it has delivered recovery or assured carrying-capacity of endangered native species.
Creating barriers such as ending licencing for brood management does not make sense and seems entirely counter-productive to enabling sustainable management of Hen Harrier populations where they have been successfully established.