North Wales MS and Wales Species Champion for the Curlew, Mark Isherwood, has called for the Welsh Government’s target for woodland planting to take account of the fact that woodlands provide an ideal habitat for the apex predators which target Curlew nests and chicks.
Mr Isherwood raised the issue with the Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, Lesley Griffiths MS, when questioning her in yesterday’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament over action the Welsh Government is taking to protect threatened wildlife species.
He said:
“Trees provide numerous environmental, social and economic benefits, and tree planting is widely considered to be one of the most important ways to combat climate change and poor air quality. However, the decline in Curlew is strongly associated with increased amounts of woodland near breeding sites. Although the iconic Curlew is our most pressing bird conservation priority, it will be extinct as a breeding population in Wales within a decade without intervention.
“However, woodland continues to be seen as a public good, even when it provides an ideal habitat for the apex predators whose predation of nests and chicks is a primary cause of Curlew breeding failure. As the Welsh Government Minister responsible for the protection and management of Wildlife, what specific action are you taking to ensure that the Welsh Government's target for woodland planting in Wales takes account of this, and that, although the snares of yesteryear are not acceptable, modern humane cable restraints are recognised as holding devices, not killing devices, with a key role to play amongst the range of urgent intervention measures needed to prevent imminent Curlew extinction and to reverse biodiversity loss?”
The Minister replied:
“You're quite right, the curlew is an iconic farmland and moorland bird. I am pleased that you continue to champion it. I was due to meet Curlew Wales and, unfortunately, I had to postpone the meeting, but I will make sure that I reschedule that meeting, because I'm certainly very interested to hear what they have to say.
“You're quite right about trees and, certainly, if we're going to meet our net-zero commitments, we have been told in very clear terms by the UK Committee for Climate Change we need to significantly increase our woodland planting targets.
“You refer to humane cable restraints and, as you know, we're looking to ban snare and humane cable restraints in the Agriculture (Wales) Bill 2022, and that really is about preventing inhumane methods being used, and it doesn't prevent other more humane methods of control.”
Speaking afterwards, Mr Isherwood said:
“Although I welcome the Minister’s statement that she will reschedule her postponed meeting with Curlew Wales/Gylfinir Cymru, I fear that her failure to answer my question regarding woodland planting and her ‘party line’ response regarding humane cable restraints risks turning the predicted bur preventable disappearance of the Curlew into a reality.
“Nest camera data showing nest predation (which I have viewed) is unequivocal. The management of Wales’ apex predators is vital to the conservation of ground-nesting species like the Curlew. The vast majority of people in Wales want action to tackle the nature emergency. We face a stark choice – extinction of multiple further species, or a range of urgent intervention measures to reverse biodiversity loss.”