Wildlife declines on farmland: past failures, present successes and future prospects
Date: 14th November 2025
Time: 19:30 – 21:30
Presenter: Professor Nick Sotherton (BSc, PhD, FRSE)
Cost: £10.00 (inc refreshment/drink)
Room: Main Hall
Farmland wildlife have historically been a neglected group. But when severe declines of once common species were detected, research focused on how to halt declines and restore populations. Using large scale, long-term experiments on farmland all over the UK techniques were designed to allow farmers to continue to be in profit, but also to support wildlife and improve biodiversity.
These techniques will be explored and include habitat creation, modification of pesticide use and predation control. Real life examples of farms employing these techniques will be described focussing on a large estate on the Sussex Downs.
The talk takes us on a 50 year journey from identifying the problems, using research to solve them, making sure these ideas are farmer friendly and inexpensive, getting them out to the farming world and finally, getting them funded by UK Government so the take up of these wildlife-friendly ideas can be maximised.
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