News

Funding boost for barn owls & bats

blackmorevaleFebruary 2, 20210 Comment0

Funding to help conserve the iconic barn owl and horseshoe bat in Dorset has been granted as part of the government’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund.

The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) has received a grant of £123,700 to help conserve barn owls through the Owl Box Initiative. GWCT will expand to new sites in Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire, installing and monitoring 64 barn owl nest boxes during the breeding season and feedback will be provided to farmers.

Adult barn owls will be GPS-tracked to better understand their use of arable habitats for foraging and enable farmers to see the effects of their conservation efforts, while a brood will be live- streamed on the GWCT website to engage the wider public.

In Dorset, GWCT is working with farmers in and Cranborne Chase from the Tarrant Valley to the east of Blandford Forum and the Avon Valley.

Dr Niamh McHugh, project leader at GWCT, said: “Barn owls are among the most iconic and instantly recognisable of farmland birds. As a recovering flagship species, they serve as a reminder of what farmland conservation measures can achieve. Through The Owl Box Initiative we will provide recognition for the work that farmers do for wildlife. We aim to inspire a greater appreciation of farmland conservation among local communities, through volunteering and community events, and will encourage farmers to continue to make further positive changes.”

The Vincent Wildlife Trust (VWT) has been granted £179,900 to future-proof horseshoe bat roosts against climate change. The funding will help protect the rare species in Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Devon and Gloucestershire.

Dr Anita Glover, bat programme manager, said: “By enhancing roosts using proven techniques such as the installation of hot and cool boxes to provide a range of stable microclimates, we can significantly reduce the negative impacts of climate change. This funding could not have come at a better time to help us ensure the current recovery of our horseshoe bats is sustained.”