Compiled by The Wildlife Trust

Lead Agencies Public Sector Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group

Voluntary Sector RSPB

1 INTRODUCTION

The Grey Partridge was once the most popular game bird quarry in the county, but changes in farming practice have caused a massive decline in the breeding numbers in recent years.

2 CURRENT STATUS

2.1 International / National Status

· The Grey Partridge was originally a bird of temperate steppe grasslands, and arrived naturally in Britain after the last ice age. Over the last eight millennia it has adapted readily to open arable landscapes, and correspondingly, has vastly expanded its range as agricultural development has spread. This species became the most popular sporting quarry of the last century, with an average of two million birds killed annually.

· Since the 1950s, the UK population of Grey Partridge has declined by over 85% to a current estimated 145,000 spring pairs. The bulk of this species are found on the arable lowlands of eastern Britain. Populations in some mixed farming areas seem quite stable, especially in the north, but in areas of historical low abundance such as intensive grasslands in the west, declines have exceeded 95%.

· The Grey Partridge is protected in Britain under the Game Acts. It is also listed on Annex III/I of the EC Birds Directive and Appendix III of the Bern Convention.

2.2 Local Status

In Northamptonshire, the Grey Partridge has met the criteria as having a rapidly declining population, and is therefore included in the county’s Red Data Book. Due to increasingly intensive agricultural practices, it is now a very localised breeding species within the county.

3 CURENT FACTORS CAUSING LOSS OR DECLINE

· Loss of nest sites, such as hedgerows, uncultivated field margins and small woodlands, due to the changing farming practices.

· Loss of winter food supply. The main source of winter weed seeds in stubble fields has now largely disappeared due to the switch from spring to autumn-sown cereals.

· Loss of food for chicks. The increased use of pesticides has reduced the availability of invertebrates – directly by use of insecticides, and indirectly by the use of herbicides which reduces food sources available for insects. The large reduction in sawfly larvae is thought to have been the major cause for the collapse in the Grey Partridge population.

· The lack of adequate ground cover has resulted in nests becoming increasingly vulnerable to predators.

· Nest destruction caused by early mowing (switch from hay to silage cutting) and other farm operations.

5. GREY PARTRIDGE OBJECTIVES AND ACTIONS

	Objective	Action	Lead Agency	Partners	TargetS
5.1	Policy and Legislation
	Objective One: Increase funding for agri-environment schemes that benefit farmland biodiversity	Lobby central government and the EU	National Farmers Union	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, Country Landowners Association	Increased funding by 2004
	Objective Two: Ensure that BAP species are given an appropriate level of protection in local plans	Include species protection policies in local plans and/or supplementary guidance	Local Authorities		By 2003
	Objective Three: To develop specific agricultural policies to deliver the habitat requirements of the Grey Partridge	Encourage Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to require habitat improvement measures that benefit BAP species as part of the Arable Area payment Scheme and other agri-environment schemes	RSPB	BAP Partners	By 2005
5.2	Site Safeguard and Management (including Species Management and Protection)
	Objective Four: Ensure that there is sufficient suitable farmland habitat to halt the decline and subsequently increase the natural breeding population of Grey Partridge	Increase the Grey Partridge population In Northamptonshire by 10%	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	BAP Partners	By 2010
		Encourage further up-take of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme to increase extent of farmland features eg. conservation headlands (field margins)	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	Farm Conservation Advisors including land agents	Throughout Action Plan Period
		Encourage a reduction in the use of pesticides which cause the loss of food for chicks, both directly as insecticides and indirectly as herbicides which reduces the insects’ food	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	Farm Conservation Advisors including land agents	Throughout Action Plan Period
		Encourage increased cover availability for nest sites and other habitats. The reduction of cover has led to chicks becoming more vulnerable to predators	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	Farm Conservation Advisors including land agents	Throughout Action Plan Period
		Encourage the retention of winter stubble and the reduction in herbicide use so increase the availability of weed seed	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	Farm Conservation Advisors including land agents	Throughout Action Plan Period
5.3	Advisory
	Objective Five: Provide advice on suitable land management practices for this species, targeted at landowners land managers and farm conservation advisors	Promote best land management practices that benefit the Grey Partridge	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	English Nature, Wildlife Trust, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs & other Farm conservation advisors	Throughout plan period
		Use the Grey Partridge as an example of a species which will respond rapidly to sensitive farmland management. Promote this with appropriate advisory material	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	English Nature, Wildlife Trust, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs & other Farm conservation advisors	Throughout plan period
		Advise landowners/managers that implementing this plan will also benefit many other farmland bird species including the linnet, tree sparrow and turtle dove		Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, English Nature, Wildlife Trust, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Other Farm conservation advisors	Throughout plan period
5.4	Monitoring and Research
	Objective Six: Determine an accurate estimate of the numbers and distribution of the Grey Partridge across Northamptonshire and establish the population trend	Encourage local surveys of population numbers and distribution	The Wildlife Trust	British Trust for Ornithology, RSPB, Northants Bird Club, Individuals	By 2003
5.5	Communications and Publicity
	Objective Seven: Use the Grey Partridge as an example to highlight the impact that modern intensive farming practices have on biodiversity	Communicate the decline of the Grey Partridge to publicise the effects of changing farming practices and to demonstrate how Grey Partridge-sensitive farming practices can have benefits for wider farm biodiversity	Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	BAP Partners	Throughout plan period
5.6	Review
	Objective Eight: Review the plan to assess progress, and where necessary update and amend		Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group	BAP Partners	2005
	Objective Nine: Publicise the progress made in delivering this Action Plan in a BAP Annual Report			BAP Partners	Annually

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Compiled by The Wildlife Trust

5.1

Policy and Legislation

5.2

Site Safeguard and Management (including Species Management and Protection)

5.3

Advisory

5.4

Monitoring and Research

5.5

Communications and Publicity

5.6

Review