Home / Environment / Farmers Unite: Wildlife Thrives on Working Farmland
Farmers Unite: Wildlife Thrives on Working Farmland
5 Oct
Summary
- Corn bunting populations rose 346% around Martin Down in a decade.
- Collaborative farmer efforts created connected habitats across 13,500 hectares.
- Facilitators are key to coordinating conservation and monitoring efforts.
Corn bunting populations have seen an 83% decline in the UK since 1967. However, around Martin Down, on the Hampshire-Dorset border, their numbers have surged by 346% in the last decade. This success story extends to other species, with grey partridges increasing by 147% and butterfly abundance climbing by 183% in the same area.
These positive trends are occurring on working farmland managed by the Martin Down Farmer Cluster. Farmers united to create connected habitats, such as flower margins and water scrapes, across neighboring farms covering over 13,500 hectares. This initiative, supported by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), demonstrates the effectiveness of coordinated conservation.
Two Farmer Clusters in Hampshire, Dorset, and Wiltshire, Allenford and Martin Down, have been monitored for 10 years. The GWCT developed the Farmer Cluster model in 2012, recognizing that wildlife conservation transcends farm boundaries. Facilitators like Megan Lock guide farmers in identifying opportunities, coordinating projects, and monitoring results.
In the Allenford Farmer Cluster, grey partridge numbers rose from seven breeding pairs in 2016 to 26 by spring 2025, a 271% increase. Butterfly diversity also rose by 48%, and bumblebee species increased by 25%. Martin Down has added over 100 hectares of grass and flower margins and doubled its water scrapes.
Farmers have invested significantly personal funds and utilized agri-environment schemes. GWCT CEO Nick von Westenholz emphasized the critical need for adequately funded facilitators to continue delivering biodiversity and emissions targets. He stated that continued public funding for facilitation is critical and represents value for money.
