In response to recent coverage, Mary Colwell, director of Curlew Action and chair of the Curlew Recovery Partnership, has clarified her position on the use of lethal predator control to protect Britain's vanishing curlews. She states that while her organisations recognise the need for such measures, they are not calling for widespread culls of foxes and crows, but rather targeted, evidence-based action in specific areas.
Colwell emphasises that the future of curlews and other ground-nesting birds remains uncertain unless all major factors limiting their breeding success are addressed. These include not only predation risk but also habitat loss, agricultural intensification, recreational disturbance, invertebrate food availability, and climate change. She notes that curlews are at the heart of many of the greatest environmental issues facing the UK today.
The long-term goal, according to Colwell, is for curlews to live in good habitat with a sustainable population, which will always include some natural predation. The debate over predator control continues to divide opinion, with conservationists seeking a balance between immediate protection and long-term ecological health.
