Minister observes efforts to save Wales’s curlew

Wales’s Deputy First Minister has seen first-hand the battle to save curlew during Wales Nature Week, witnessing a £1 million recovery programme that could decide the species’ future.

Huw Irranca-Davies visited the Brecon Beacons earlier this month to observe the Curlew Connections project, where teams are delivering systematic fox and corvid control across one of Wales’s seven remaining Important Curlew Areas.

The visit was arranged by Gylfinir Cymru, a unique partnership uniting BASC, GWCT, the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation, RSPB and farming unions to coordinate curlew recovery.

With fewer than 400 breeding pairs left in Wales — and extinction as a breeding bird predicted by 2033 — the programme combines nest monitoring, targeted predator control and habitat improvement in the species’ remaining strongholds.

The minister observed fieldwork tackling the biggest factor in curlew decline: predation of eggs and chicks. After the visit, Mr Irranca-Davies praised the collaborative effort, saying it was “fantastic to see projects that are making a real difference”.

BASC’s Ian Danby highlighted the importance of ministerial backing: “His support for Gylfinir Cymru, a unique collaboration of government, farming, shooting, research and conservation, is vital if we are to prevent curlew disappearing as a breeding bird in Wales by 2033.”