Wales Curlew Recovery Plan Refreshed to Protect Threatened Bird 2026

Key Points

• The representatives of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority (BBNPA) approved a refreshed 10-year plan for the recovery of Curlew in Wales during their meeting on Friday, October 9.
• The Wales Action Plan for the Recovery of Curlew was established back in 2021 and has been revised taking into account its implementation and lessons learnt.
• Gylfinir Cymru (Curlew Wales) aims to receive cross-party support in the expanded Senedd and backing from the new Welsh Government.
• The remaining members of Gylfinir Cymru are also set to approve the refreshed action plan during October before its official launch.
• The plan has already been endorsed by BBNPA after the discussion of the report.
• The refreshed plan incorporates the updated guidelines regarding the Sustainable Farming Scheme, lessons learnt, and the introduction of headstarting in Wales.
• Headstarting includes the collection of Curlew eggs, hatching of chicks and raising them in captivity before release when they can fly.
• BBNPA hired five predator controllers and an evaluator for the Curlew Landscapes Wales project that began in May.
• The Curlew Landscapes Wales project is being carried out using nearly £1 million of funding provided by the Nature Networks Fund of the Welsh Government. The project will last three years.

Wales (Wales Times) October 15, 2026 – Members of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority have welcomed a refreshed plan intended to protect one of Wales’s most threatened breeding birds, the Curlew, as conservation partners seek wider political backing for its recovery across Wales.

As reported by Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter, for Nation.Cymru, members of the Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority welcomed the refreshed and updated plan at a meeting on Friday, October 9. The authority subsequently approved the report.

The plan, known as the Wales Action Plan for the Recovery of Curlew, was originally established in 2021 as a 10-year framework. According to Nation.Cymru and the County Times, it has been refreshed following a review of its implementation and to incorporate lessons learned since its launch.

Why Has the Curlew Plan Been Refreshed?

The refresh is intended to reflect developments since 2021, including additional guidance relating to the Sustainable Farming Scheme, learning from recent conservation work, and the anticipated introduction of headstarting in Wales.

As reported by the County Times, BBNPA ecologist Nicola Davies said: “The main plan remains largely unchanged although a refresh was needed to reflect upon more guidance being available regarding the Sustainable Farming Scheme, as well as learning from recent lessons, and moving towards the introduction of headstarting in Wales.”

Headstarting is a conservation technique in which Curlew eggs are collected and chicks are hatched and reared in captivity. The approach is designed to protect young birds from early-stage predators and agricultural hazards before they are released back into the wild once they can fly.

The updated plan is also part of an effort by Gylfinir Cymru, also known as Curlew Wales, to secure cross-party support in the enlarged Senedd and endorsement from the new Welsh Government. According to Nation.Cymru, other members of Gylfinir Cymru are expected to endorse the updated plan during October.

Ms Davies told members, as reported by the County Times: “BBNPA has been asked to endorse the plan along with all other Gylfinir Cymru members before October 31, prior to it being officially launched.”

What Does the Plan Aim to Achieve?

The plan seeks to stabilise the decline in Wales’s breeding Curlew population and prevent the species’ predicted extinction in Wales by 2033. The original action plan, launched in November 2021, set out a 10-year programme of action covering 2021 to 2031.

According to Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, the Welsh Curlew population had fallen by 81 per cent and was continuing to fall by more than 6 per cent annually at the time the original plan was launched. The authority also stated that the National Park is the most southerly point in the UK where the species breeds.

The Eurasian Curlew is now regarded as one of the highest bird conservation priorities in Wales. As reported by the County Times, its rapid and ongoing decline means it is threatened with extinction as a Welsh breeding bird within the next two decades.

BBNPA chairman Cllr Gareth Ratcliffe reminded members that the initiative is “an all-Wales action plan”, according to Nation.Cymru.

How Is Bannau Brycheiniog Supporting Recovery?

BBNPA is continuing practical conservation work through the Curlew Landscapes Wales project, which commenced in May. The project is funded through the Welsh Government’s Nature Networks Fund and is being delivered by the Heritage Fund on behalf of the Welsh Government.

As reported by Nation.Cymru, Ms Davies said: “We’ve already recruited five staff as predator controllers and an evaluator for the Curlew Landscapes Wales project that commenced in May, and we will be employing more throughout the duration of the project.”

She added: “The Nature Networks Fund will be supporting three years of Curlew recovery in Bannau Brycheiniog.”

The project follows an earlier programme, Curlew Connections Wales, which ran for three years and ended on March 31, 2026. That project was delivered by BBNPA alongside the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape, with funding under the Nature Networks two programme.

According to the County Times, Ms Davies described the new project as “a high-profile, three-year project” working towards Curlew recovery on a landscape scale. She said it was “the first successful species-focused project that the national park has delivered in several years”.

What Funding Supports the Work?

Earlier this year, BBNPA secured almost £1 million from the Welsh Government’s Nature Networks Fund to continue Curlew recovery work for a further three years. The funding was announced by the national park authority in July.

The money supports a partnership between BBNPA and the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape. The project aims to build on the work carried out under Curlew Connections Wales.

According to BBNPA’s July press release, the new phase will take a landscape-scale approach to Curlew conservation. It will involve continued collaboration with farmers, specialist advisers, volunteers, ecologists, researchers and wider communities.

Brad Welch, land use and nature recovery manager at Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, said in the authority’s announcement: “We are thrilled to receive this support from the Nature Networks Programme, securing three more years of vital curlew recovery work throughout the Park.”

He added: “Working alongside our partners, the farming and local communities we can build directly on the strong foundations laid by the Curlew Connections Wales project. Protecting this species is a conservation priority for Bannau Brycheiniog and this next phase gives us real confidence for the future of this iconic bird.”

Why Are Curlews Important to Wales?

Curlews are described by conservation partners as an “umbrella species”. Protecting them is intended to benefit the wider habitats and species that share their landscapes.

As reported by Nation.Cymru, Ms Davies said: “They are known as an umbrella species, meaning if you look after Curlews, you’re looking after a wide range of habitats and species, resulting in more biodiverse landscapes, with increased pollinators, healthier soils and increased water retention.”

She also highlighted the bird’s cultural significance in Wales. According to Nation.Cymru, she said: “Curlews have 25-plus names in Welsh, demonstrating they are deeply rooted in our culture, and if we lose them, we lose that connection to the land.”

Welsh Government-appointed member Canon Aled Edwards, who is originally from Trawsfynydd in North Wales, also spoke in support of the plan. As reported by Nation.Cymru, he said: “I’m a Merionethshire boy and I’m used to calling the Curlew Gog-y-Cwm, which means Cuckoo of the valley.”

He added: “It’s a wonderful expression of the diversity of this particular species in our midst, and I think us taking part in enhancing that diversity and the richness of the bird is fantastic. I wholeheartedly support this.”

Were Wildfires Discussed by Members?

During the meeting, Cllr Peter James of Powys asked whether the six Curlew breeding areas in Bannau Brycheiniog had been affected by wildfires.

According to Nation.Cymru, Ms Davies said the authority had been monitoring Curlew territories for six years and had a good understanding of where the birds breed. She said it was unlikely that Curlews were breeding in wildfire areas, adding that they appeared to be using lowland or mid-upland habitat rather than mountain tops.

Cllr Huw Williams, also of Powys, asked whether the reduced level of activity in the countryside during the Covid-19 period had had a positive or negative effect on the Curlew population.

Ms Davies responded that there was no solid evidence to prove an effect. However, she said that if fewer people had been walking in the countryside, Curlews would have had a stronger chance of producing chicks that fledged and a better chance of survival.

What Happens Next?

BBNPA members approved the report at the October 9 meeting. The refreshed plan is expected to receive endorsements from other Gylfinir Cymru members before October 31, ahead of its official launch.

The next phase of work will continue through the Curlew Landscapes Wales project, which will run for three years. It will focus on habitat improvement, nest and predator monitoring, practical conservation measures, community engagement, survey work and data collection.

Farmers are expected to remain central to the programme. According to BBNPA, specialist advisers will work with landowners to develop long-term recovery frameworks, while volunteers and members of the public will continue to support monitoring and data gathering.

Background of the Development

The Curlew is a large wading bird that breeds in Wales during spring and summer. Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority describes it as an iconic species referenced in history, theology, literature and the arts.

The Wales Action Plan for the Recovery of Curlew was launched on November 22, 2021, by Gylfinir Cymru, a partnership involving government bodies, conservation organisations and land managers. The plan was designed to conserve breeding Curlews over a 10-year period and to address the predicted Welsh extinction of the species by 2033.

BBNPA became a member of Gylfinir Cymru in 2021. In 2023, it joined the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley National Landscape to deliver Curlew Connections Wales, a recovery programme funded under the Nature Networks two programme.

That earlier project worked with farmers, volunteers, ecologists and researchers to monitor nests and predators, improve habitat conditions and enable practical conservation action. It ended on March 31, 2026.

The current Curlew Landscapes Wales project began in May 2026 and is funded through the Nature Networks 5 programme, administered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. It continues the partnership approach while applying the experience gained from the previous project.

Prediction: What Could This Mean for Local Communities?

For farmers, landowners and rural communities in and around Bannau Brycheiniog, the refreshed plan is likely to mean continued involvement in habitat management, nest monitoring, predator control and conservation decision-making over the next three years.

For conservation volunteers and local residents, the project may create further opportunities to take part in surveys, data collection and community engagement activities. The authority has said that public participation will remain an important part of monitoring the birds’ progress.

For policymakers in Wales, the endorsement by BBNPA adds momentum to Gylfinir Cymru’s effort to secure cross-party support in the Senedd and backing from the Welsh Government. If the refreshed plan receives wider endorsement, it could strengthen the case for continued funding and coordinated action across Wales.

For the Curlew itself, the immediate effect will depend on whether the refreshed plan and Curlew Landscapes Wales project can improve breeding success across the landscapes where the birds nest. The project’s focus on habitat, predator management, farming collaboration and potential headstarting is intended to address the pressures that have contributed to the species’ decline.