Trusts to be cut in bid to save ten million pounds (From Gazette Series)

Trusts to be cut in bid to save ten million pounds

INFORMATION about the status of all migratory goose and swan populations found in the UK is now available on the internet thanks to the Slimbridge-based Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT).

The WWT has launched a new section on its website dedicated to sharing information about these migratory bird populations, much of which has been collected by amateur ornithologists.

The new pages, developed in partnership with the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC), provide the latest assessments of the status of important populations such as the Svalbard Barnacle Goose and the Icelandic Pink-footed Goose.

WWT has been monitoring the UK's goose and swan populations for over 50 years to help safeguard them and their habitats.

This is done in collaboration with a dedicated following of amateur ornithologists who have contributed an immense amount of data by participating in surveys and specialised bird counts.

"It's vital that we monitor the status of these important populations because doing so allows us to protect them from a distance and take appropriate conservation action if required," explained Richard Hearn, the manager of the goose and swan monitoring programme at WWT.

"These dedicated web pages will mean that, for the first time, anyone can access the most up-to-date information on these populations, as well as allowing us to provide further information and materials to support and strengthen the network of ornithologists that contribute to surveys."

Helen Baker, ornithologist at JNCC, is looking forward to the increased opportunities the new pages will present.

"Our migratory birds are a shared resource and the UK relies very much on the data collected by the programme to achieve its international conservation commitments, the new web pages will help considerably and we hope that our colleagues in other countries will also find them invaluable," she said.

Any bird watchers interested in finding out more about how they can help with this important monitoring work should visit www.wwt.org.uk/research/monitoring