Wiltshire Wader Group
We have a variety of projects that engage with a range of stakeholders to help protect wader populations and manage land for them effectively. Education plays a large part on this, whether it is educating land owners or the general public; knowledge is power. To be able to monitor the success of these other projects and to track changes in populations, monitoring is also a key part of our work.
Project 1. Population Monitoring
Monitoring is key to any conservation effort. We undertake breeding surveys as well as winter counts of wader flocks at key locations to gather data on the changes to wader populations in Wiltshire.
Casual records are also valuable, informing us of numbers and distribution across the wider county and potentially locating new breeding sites. Data is compiled and we work with the Wiltshire & Swindon Biological Records Centre to manage, analyse and use this data.
Project 2. Public Engagement
If conservation is to succeed it needs to have the support of the general public. In order to do that and gain local support we educate and engage with the public in a variety if ways.
We give talks to local community groups about our work as well as running 'Wader Walks' across the county to allow people to see these special birds for themselves. To support this we produce a range of literature and material for educational purposes.
Protecting Waders: Our Projects
Project 3. Working with Landowners
Liaising with landowners gives us an opportunity to work with those who can have the biggest direct impact on wader populations within the county. Well managed land can be both productive and a haven for wildlife.
Helping landowners to to realise the full potential of their land and the benefits it could bring to waders is an important part of this. We help deign an implement ideas to help and protect waders as well as helping landowners explore protection options such as Environmental Stewardship.
Project 4. Promoting Protection
To help protect waders in the longer term it is important that there is adequate legal protection for them, both locally and nationally. Many species already have some protection but more may be needed.
The local focus of Wiltshire Wader Group means that in our own we don't have much influence nationally. However working with larger organasiations and encouraging our supproters to make their voices heard acn go a long way .