“We are witnessing nature falling silent,” said Leo Henley-Lock, director of conservation and land management at Wiltshire Wildlife Trust. He wants it treated as an emergency.
The trust says farmland birds across the United Kingdom have lost ground badly, with some species down by as much as 90% in parts of the country. Northern lapwing, common snipe and grey partridge are the ones it names. Conservationists blame habitat destruction, intensive farming and the wearing away of the traditional nesting and feeding grounds these birds depend on.
“The song of the skylark and the flash of a lapwing’s wing should be synonymous with spring in Wiltshire, not a memory,” Henley-Lock said. He called farmland birds “a vital part of our natural heritage.”
A funding scheme closes
English farmers used to receive government money for managing land in nature-friendly ways, and that work kept habitat in place for farmland birds and other wildlife. The Sustainable Farming Incentive, or SFI, closed last year. Conservation groups now worry about what that means for biodiversity on working farms.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, known as Defra, says a replacement is being developed. Officials describe the new programme as “simpler” and “fairer.” They point out that more than 44,000 multi-year SFI agreements are still running and that over half of UK farmers are enrolled in environmental schemes of some kind.
What the trust wants
Henley-Lock argues the fix is known. “By restoring habitats and working in partnership with farmers and landowners, we can give these birds a fighting chance and bring them back into our landscape,” he said. He described it as “a chance to make a real difference for nature at a critical moment.”
Farmland birds are treated as a gauge of ecosystem health. When they dwindle, the problems behind it can reach soil quality and pollination as well. The Natural World Fund, which published the warning, makes the same case: protecting these species matters for wildlife and for the long-term viability of farming and rural communities.
The fund backs nature-friendly farming and habitat restoration, and says that approach could return lapwings, snipe and grey partridges to the countryside.
