Learning more about breeding woodcock populations in Northern Ireland
Given that British woodcock populations are declining, it is important to understand the population in Northern Ireland.
BASC Wildlife Fund
The BASC Wildlife Fund provides funding for land purchase and conservation projects linked to sustainable shooting in the UK. The fund is also involved in international projects where these relate to UK migratory species.
The BASC Wildlife Fund aims to assist shoots, clubs and syndicates to enhance the natural environment around them, combatting the loss of biodiversity and degradation of habitats through long-term, sustainable change.
If you would like to enquire about a BASC Wildlife Fund loan or conservation grant please get in touch today at bascwildlifefund.co.uk.
Thanks to your donations, the BASC Wildlife Fund has awarded £467k in conservation grants since 2020. If you would like to support the fund, you can donate here.
Together, we can ensure thriving natural habitats for generations to come.
Making a positive difference from the ground up
In addition to providing loans to clubs and syndicates for the purchase of land, the BASC Wildlife Fund supports a multitude of conservation projects across the UK and abroad. Here are some of the most recent projects and organisations to have benefitted from the fund:
Emergency action for capercaillie
A grant of £52,405 was awarded to help restore Scotland’s capercaillie population in its last remaining stronghold in the Cairngorms National Park.
There are now only 542 capercaillie left in the UK and more than 80 per cent live in the Cairngorms, the lowest recorded number for 30 years. GWCT calculations show that following this project, capercaillie numbers in the Cairngorms could be 16 per cent higher and the risk of extinction within 50 years would drop by 92 per cent.
The BWF grant given to the project in 2023 funded work to mark or remove 10km unmarked fences which presented a significant risk to resident capercaillie.
Wentloog Wildfowling and Conservation Association
A loan of £35,000 in February 2023 allowed Wentloog Wildfowling and Conservation Association (WWCA) to purchase 932 acres of foreshore in Wentloog, a rural community in the southwest of the city of Newport.
Wentloog’s foreshore comprises intertidal flats which fall within the Severn Estuary protected network – an area of vital importance to the wetland and migratory wildfowl in the region. With the support of BASC and the BWF, the WWCA will commence a habitat management plan for the site to protect and preserve habitats located on it.
SOTKA wetlands project - Finland
In 2023 grant of €45,000 was awarded to the SOTKA wetlands project in Finland, to restore and create three wetland sites, spanning 47 hectares, to benefit a wide range of wildlife, not least a host of wildfowl species that migrate to the UK each autumn.
SOTKA wetlands, a Finnish Wildlife Agency project, has a goal of creating 40 wetland sites by 2025. The funding will be used to build dams and dykes to hold spring flood waters for the benefit of breeding wildfowl and it is hoped this project will prepare the ground for further innovative, international multi-stakeholder partnerships.
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Project Penelope
Project Penelope is a project led by the Waterfowlers’ Network aiming to improve data collection, waterfowl habitats and sustainable management of waterbirds.
Woodland management
Find out how you can make the most of woodland areas to enhance your shoot, create wildlife habitat and bring environmental benefits.
