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Endangered bird 'makes comeback' | Endangered bird 'makes comeback' |
(1 day later) | |
The woodlark, one of England's most critically endangered birds, is making a dramatic comeback, the RSPB has said. | The woodlark, one of England's most critically endangered birds, is making a dramatic comeback, the RSPB has said. |
In the last 10 years, numbers have almost doubled from 1,633 breeding pairs in the UK in 1997 to 3,084 pairs, according to the charity's survey. | In the last 10 years, numbers have almost doubled from 1,633 breeding pairs in the UK in 1997 to 3,084 pairs, according to the charity's survey. |
But conservationists fear woodlarks' good fortune may be short-lived. | But conservationists fear woodlarks' good fortune may be short-lived. |
They say that undisturbed and untilled farmland where the birds like to nest may begin to disappear as pressure to use land for biofuels increases. | They say that undisturbed and untilled farmland where the birds like to nest may begin to disappear as pressure to use land for biofuels increases. |
Refuge for wildlife | Refuge for wildlife |
Sue Armstrong-Brown, the RSPB's head of conservation, said: "The return of the woodlark to our fields, heaths and forests is brilliant news - and shows how important set-aside [land] has become as a refuge for wildlife on our farmland." | Sue Armstrong-Brown, the RSPB's head of conservation, said: "The return of the woodlark to our fields, heaths and forests is brilliant news - and shows how important set-aside [land] has become as a refuge for wildlife on our farmland." |
But she warned it was crucial their recovery was not "sabotaged" and called for increased efforts to restore and manage lowland heaths to create suitable conditions for the birds. | But she warned it was crucial their recovery was not "sabotaged" and called for increased efforts to restore and manage lowland heaths to create suitable conditions for the birds. |
THE WOODLARK Streaky brown bird with a white eye-stripe Short tail and broad, rounded wingsBreeds mainly in eastern and southern England Spotted all year roundEats seeds and insectsSource: RSPB The woodlark was first red-listed as a species of conservation concern in the 1980s following a dramatic decline in its population in the previous two decades. | |
At its lowest point in 1986, there were just 241 breeding pairs. | At its lowest point in 1986, there were just 241 breeding pairs. |
Its decline coincided with the loss of traditional farmland in the south west of England and Wales, and the loss of heathland across the UK. | |
However, the European agricultural policy of the early 1990s proved an unlikely saviour. | However, the European agricultural policy of the early 1990s proved an unlikely saviour. |
Farmers were paid to take land out of production to reduce EU "food mountains". | |
It became known as set-aside land and proved a boon to wildlife, including the woodlark. | It became known as set-aside land and proved a boon to wildlife, including the woodlark. |
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